Summary:
The Russula puellaris group have been described, at least by some authors as having flesh that turns yellow. Members include Russula versicolor, Russula sapinea, R. puellaris, R. ''abietina'', R. blackfordiae, and R. brunneoviolacea. There is genetic confirmation for the European Russula versicolor in the Pacific Northwest (at most 1 or 2 nucleotides different). There is also a genetic match in the Pacific Northwest for Russula sapinea. There is one that is close to but not the same as Russula puellaris and one that could match (low confidence) a yellowing concept of R. abietina. The others are not genetically documented from the Pacific Northwest but their status is discussed in individual accounts. |Russula sapinea was described in 1994. D. Miller says, (pers. comm.) "This little known European Russula may not be known to turn yellow over there, but it does over here, so it should be more closely examined in Europe. The genetic variation is a bit high in sequences of this species (up to a full %), but without forming any groups, so I think it may just be all one species. It''s possible somebody will find a reason to split it into more than one species in the future. It is usually purple, but can be red-purple or closer to red... Many different conifers were around when it has been found.", (D. Miller, pers. comm.).

Cap:
3-5cm across, "dark purple center shading to purplish pink or flesh pink at edge"; cap skin peeling 1/2, margin striate, (Woo), 3-5(6)cm across, convex depressed; blackish purple, shading off into pale pinkish purple towards the margin; cap skin separable, center somewhat viscid-tuberculate (under a lens), margin rather coarsely tuberculate-striate, (Lange), 2.5-5cm across, livid purple, dark vinaceous, vinaceous, livid red, bay, brick or dark brick, or washed out colors, rosy or pale vinaceous, often minutely punctate with darker color, center often darker than margin; 1/2-2/3 peeling, margin sulcate-pectinate, (Rayner), 2.5-6cm across, center depressed; red, purple, vinaceous, reddish brown or dark brown, often discoloring to a pale mixture of these, center usually darker to almost black; margin +/- sulcate, (Hansen), 2.5-5cm across, "convex then flat with a central depression, fragile"; livid purple [dark blue-gray purple], "vinaceous, rosy or brick red, often pale and washed out, often darker at center", staining entirely yellow-ocher; cap skin peels halfway or more, margin sulcate, (Phillips), purple to vinaceous to reddish with rather strong yellow overtones: dark reddish purple to brick red to brown to pale brick red, fading to pale purple to pinkish vinaceous to pale pink to flesh pink when old, "typically developing yellowish or olive-yellow tints when mature, unchanging in color when bruised or staining yellow to dark yellow", (Thiers)

Flesh:
fragile; white, aging waxy yellow, (Woo), becoming amber-yellow in stem, (Lange), thinnish (Rayner); yellowing (Hansen), often yellowing markedly overnight (Moser), fragile; white, (Phillips)

Notes:
There is sufficient evidence for the occurrence of members of this group in BC, WA, and OR.

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