Russula emetica

Russula emetica has a red, convex to flat cap up to 8. 5 cm in diameter. The gills are white to pale cream, and closely spaced. The flesh is extremely peppery, but can be removed by parboiling or pickling.

About Russula emetica in brief

Summary Russula emeticaRussula emetica is a basidiomycete mushroom, and the type species of the genus Russula. It has a red, convex to flat cap up to 8. 5 cm in diameter, with a cuticle that can be peeled off almost to the centre. The gills are white to pale cream, and closely spaced. The flesh is extremely peppery, but this offensive taste, along with its toxicity, can be removed by parboiling or pickling. First described in 1774, the mushroom has a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, where it grows on the ground in damp woodlands in a mycorrhizal association with conifers, especially pine. Although it used to be widely eaten in Russia and eastern European countries, it is generally not recommended for consumption. There are many similar Russula species that have a red cap with white stem and gills, some of which can be reliably distinguished from R.

 emetica only by microscopic characteristics. The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greekemetikos Gemini, or ’emetic’ or ‘vomit-inducing’, and the common names sickener, emetic russula, and vomiting rUSSula also refer to this attribute. It produces a white to yellowish-white spore print with a strongly warted and partially reticulate surface. Melzer’s reagent is blue, bluish, and amyloid, meaning that they will stain blue, black, or blackish in colour. The white stem 4. 5cm long by 0. 7–2. 4 cm thick is roughly the same width throughout its length, although it can be a bit thicker near the base. It is dry and smooth, sometimes marked by faint grooves, and lacks a ring or veil.