Biota

Exploring Nature

Order Russulales

Kingdom: Fungi > Phylum: Basidiomycota > Class:  Agaricomycetes > Order: Russulales

Russulas are fairly common.  Here, as with everything else, there are some changes  but according to the Catalogue of Life (CoL) who use Kew’s Species Funorum database (2017), there are around 3000 species in this order in 13 families with a few not yet assigned a family.   So far I only have photos in two of these families.

Family: Russulaceae

There are around 2000 species in this family spread over 15 genera.  Here are the two where I currently have photos. 

Genus: Lactarius

These are called milkcaps due to the milky substance that seeps out when you run your nail over their gills. The colour of the milk varies and can help in identification.

  1. Lactarius blennius, beech milcap
  2. Lactarius deliciosus, saffron milkcap
  3. Lactarius glyciosmus, coconut milkcap
  4. Lactarius hepaticus, liver milkcap
  5. Lactarius quietus, oakbug milkcap
  6. Lactarius rufus, rufous milkcap
  7. Lactarius torminosus, woolly milkcap
  8. Lactarius turpis, ugly milkcap
  9. Lactarius vellereus, fleecy milkcap

Below are various milkcaps with some showing the ‘milk’. The oakbug milkcap can also be wavy as seen in one of the examples.

Genus: Russula

These are called the brittle gills because their gills are usually quite brittle as the name suggests and breaks easily, in an uneven manner. 

  • Russula atropurpurea, purple brittlegill
  • Russula claroflava, yellow swamp brittlegill
  • Russula emetica, sickener
  • Russula fragilis, fragile brittlegill
  • Russula  xerampelina, crab brittlegill

Here are examples of these russulas.  The banner is the crab brittlegill and it did smell quite strongly of crab.

Family: Stereaceae

According to CoL’s 2017 data, there are about 300 species in 20 genera.  These crust fungi, are, often small, sometimes flattish, bracket like fungi.

Genus: Stereum

  • Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust

This grows on the living, fallen and decayed wood of many species of deciduous trees and shrubs, particularly oak and beech but also on conifers. It is very common and also rather variable in both colour and appearance.

  • Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust – Hambledon Common, October 2019
  • Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust – Waggoners Wells, October 2019
  • Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust
Various stages and colours of Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust.