The purple-bloom russula is a common of North American woods east of the Rocky Mountains, usually found under oaks. Its purple cap wears a whitish, powdery-looking bloom when fresh, which is one of the best clues to the species.
Appearance
- Appearance
- The cap is about 3/4–3 in (2–7 cm) across, rarely up to 4 in (10 cm), convex becoming flat with a shallow dip. It's typically purple to purplish red but can be pink, olive, yellow, or brown, or mottled, and its skin peels more than halfway to the center.
- Growth form
- Gills are white at first, aging to cream or pale yellow. The stem is 3/4–2 1/2 in (2–6 cm) long and usually flushed pink or purple; the white flesh doesn't change color when cut.
Look-alikes
Redhead russulaRussula rhodocephala
The redhead russula has a red cap, grows with pines mainly along the Pacific coast, and tastes extremely acrid. The purple-bloom russula grows with oaks east of the Rockies and has a purple cap with a whitish bloom when fresh.
Why they get mixed upBoth are reddish russulas with pale yellow to cream spore prints.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- oak woods
- deciduous and mixed forests
- Range
- Widespread in North America east of the Rocky Mountains, where it is common under oaks.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows on the ground under hardwoods, especially oaks. It fruits from late spring to fall.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Spreads by spores; a spore print is creamy to pale yellow.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Described by Charles Peck in 1872. Asian mushrooms once recorded under this name turned out to be a different species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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