Summary:
Clade Ingratula I. Russula fragrantissima group is characterized by a yellow-brown to ocher cap, usually with a tuberculate-striate margin, fairly large size, and odor that can be fetid, sweet, almond-like, like maraschino cherries, or combinations of these. A feature not mentioned by Arora is the interior compartments often seen in the stem (illustrated in the Joy Spurr photograph). |According to D. Miller (pers. comm.) and the phylogeny of Bazzicalupo(2), there are three or four members of this group documented by DNA from the Pacific Northwest, but they are not the same species as the three names that have been used in the Northwest (Russula laurocerasi, Russula fragrantissima, and R. foetens). One is close to R. foetens genetically and one is close to R. laurocerasi genetically that besides these two, we have 1-2 more genetic species in what can vaguely be called the Russula fragrantissima group, although they are not very close to R. fragrantissima nor any other known species. |Russula foetens can be separated in Europe from the other two by spores and usually by odor, but the other two are more difficult to separate from each other. |According to D. Miller (pers. comm., following Bazzicalupo(2) phylogeny), R. sp. Woo 3 and R. sp. Woo 4 have spores with "wings" on them (comparable to R. fragrantissima or especially R. laurocerasi). The wings are thick, short or long ridges that may deviate from vertical as they rise from the spore. These two Woo species are usually noted for their specific almond or maraschino cherry odor, but may be unpleasantly sweet to some; they are closer genetically to R. fragrantissima or R. laurocerasi than they are to R. foetens, (R. sp. Woo 3 specifically most closely related to R. laurocerasi). Another species documented by DNA from the Pacific Northwest, (known as Russula sp. Woo 5) has spores which lack ''wings'' (R. foetens also lacks wings). Its odor is typically reported as nauseating or sickeningly sweet like vomit whereas two of the others are found by more people to be more pleasant in odor. It is closer to R. foetens genetically (though not identical) than the others and its characters match those of R. foetens.| R. subfoetens W.G. Sm. is also in the group (Shaffer records R. subfoetens for eastern North America - see SIMILAR under R. foetens - but Singer seems to include in R. laurocerasi). |The group also includes R. foetentula Peck from eastern North America (which Singer assigns to R. foetens as var. minor, and Shaffer synonymizes with R. subfoetens W.G. Sm.).

Cap:
7-20cm across, somewhat spherical, slowly expanding with incurved margin, thick, fleshy; "pale yellow to yellow-brown or tawny; very viscid when wet, shiny when dry, tuberculate-striate at margin", (Phillips), 7.5-20cm across, nearly spherical to oval when young, then pulvinate [cushion-shaped] with an incurved margin, later pulvinate to convex to flat with or without a depressed disc, when old irregularly concave or somewhat funnel-shaped, at times split or lobed marginally; when young pale yellow to moderate yellow, grayish yellow or light orange yellow to yellowish brown, often becoming at least partly darker when old, sometimes even grayish brown, dark grayish reddish brown or dark grayish yellowish brown; strongly viscid and shiny when wet, moderately to scarcely so in dry weather, bald, often minutely streaked outward from disc, separable 1/3 to 3/4 the cap radius, becoming prominently tuberculate-striate 0.6-3cm from edge inward, (Shaffer)

Flesh:
hard; white, (Phillips), 0.2-0.7cm thick at mid-radius, hard, later firm-brittle; "yellowish white to pale yellowish brown, often stained moderate brown or strong or moderate to dark yellowish brown around larval channels, unchanging when cut", (Shaffer)

Gills:
"adnate to adnexed or free, fairly close"; creamy white becoming yellowish or pale ocher, brownish-spotted when old; "often beaded with water droplets when fresh"

Stem:
3-20cm x 1-4cm, often long in relation to cap, equal or somewhat narrowed in lower part; whitish to buff becoming yellowish or brownish-stained when old, especially near base; dry, smooth or longitudinally lined

Odor:
heavy and penetrating - "at first sweet (like maraschino cherries, almond extract, or benzaldehyde)", but when old with a nauseating (fetid) component

Taste:
nauseating, at least gills peppery (Arora), may be unpleasant, nauseating, oily, bitter, (Shaffer, Pilat, Rayner, Phillips)

Microscopic spores:
spores 6-9 x 6-8 microns, broadly elliptic to nearly round with amyloid warts and at least partly reticulate

Spore deposit:
pale orange-yellow

Notes:
R. sp. Woo 3 has been found in CA and OR. R. sp. 4 has been found in WA and ID. The University of Washington has collections labeled as R. fragrantissima from AK and WA and labeled as R. laurocerasi from AK, WA, OR, ID, and MI. The University of British Columbia has collections labeled as R. fragrantissima and R. laurocerasi from BC. Oregon State University has collections labeled as R. fragrantissima and R. laurocerasi from OR. Smith(15) gives a distribution for Russula foetens including ID, WA, and MI.

EDIBILITY

inedible and possibly poisonous (Arora)