Russula boreals

The genus Russula is readily separated from most gilled mushrooms by the presence of large inflated cells (sphaerocysts) which make their bodies stiff and brittle. This is what makes the stem break like a piece of chalk or explode if you throw them at something hard. A number of Russula species can be recognized by a combination of macroscopic features and others can be keyed to a clump of look-alikes separable only by microscopic or chemical means. With over 65 species of Russula's occurring in Alberta positive ID can be a amateur mycologist worst nightmare. We will look at a few of the best edibles and some beautiful ones.