Bring your own Russula 2

At the last Russulales workshop 2024 in Estonia, we presented the results of the citizen science project on Russula subsection Amoeninae.

Thanks to broad international collaboration, we gathered Amoeninae collections from 15 European countries, which may help to understand the morphological and genetic diversity of the group. Based on phylogenetic analysis, we recognised five European species and defined their morphological characteristics and estimated geographical distributions.  
International cooperation is simplifying and improving Russula research. Implementation of Russula morphology standards helps to compare details in descriptions of different mycologists and help to understand differences among closely related or look-alike species. Well documented collections from various countries, regions, and biotopes help to understand species limits in terms of morphological, ecological and genetic variability. Such material is necessary to recognize if geographical distance and barriers, ecological and climate conditions and various partner trees contributed to adaptation and evolution of new species. The sharing of collections may also facilitate access to fresh material from type localities or other historically interesting sites and to understand original concepts of older species names.

Here we are opening a second call for the “Bring your own Russula” project, which will focus on Russula subsection Olivaceinae.

The group members are characterised by large fruiting bodies, velvety and when dry typically concentrically wrinkled pileus cuticles, yellow spore print and compact to firm context with a mild taste and blackberry coloured reaction of the context to phenol. They can be clearly identified under a microscope by the absence of pileocystidia. Three species are so far widely recognised, R. olivacea, R. alutacea and R. vinosobrunnea. The high variation in ecology and morphology and preliminary DNA sequence analysis suggest that there might be higher species number.

We encourage the Russulales community to contribute with their collections of Olivaceinae. Please bring Olivaceinae from your own country to the next Russulales workshop or send it to Cathrin Manz (Goethe University, Biologicum, Max-von-Laue Str. 13, 60438 Frankfurt a. M., Germany).

• To receive coherent data, we need to provide short annotations using the form provided here. 

Essential data associated with collections for "Bring your own Russula"

Preliminary Russula identification

Country

Locality details

Geographic coordinates

Associated trees and ecology

Date

Collector(s)

Contact e-mail address

Spore print

Odour

Optionally more observations on morphology and microchemical reactions

• We would also like to have a collection of photos, including a scale bar or an alternative object (e.g. 1 € coin) used as reference to the size of fruiting bodies.