1, 2. Russula heterophylla.
3. Russula virescens.
4. Russula lepida.
5. Russula alutacea.
=DESCRIPTION.= PILEUS. Many colored; white, drab, green, purple or
bright red; cuticle very thin, peeling from the edge, adherent
toward the centre; bell-shaped, at first compressing the gills,
then expanded, until finally the centre of the cap becomes
depressed or concave.
GILLS. Generally pure white, sometimes creamy or buff; nearly or
quite equal in length, rigid, brittle, breaking into unequal
segments if pressed.
STEM. Stout, solid or stuffed; in substance the same as the flesh
of the cap, often tapering quite abruptly to a point at the base.
VOLVA, ring, and veil all entirely absent at every age of the
plant.
SPORES. White. TASTE, excellent raw, like nuts; ODOR none.
GROWS in woods, woody paths or clearings; often found gnawed by
squirrels or other animals.
=TO COOK.= Remove the skin as far as it peels easily, and wash the
centre of the cap clean; then place on a gridiron and let them heat
through; butter plentifully, and salt and pepper to the taste, then
place them in a hot dish in the oven, and after broiling a beefsteak
or chicken put it thereon that the gravy may run out and be absorbed
by the mushrooms.
N. B. The noxious members of this family resemble the esculent so
closely that, to the amateur, tasting each one as gathered is the only
guide; the hurtful ones being always hot and acrid. Equal gills,
extreme brittleness, and dry, firm texture are characteristic of the
whole Russula family.]
[Illustration: PLATE VII.