Russula albonigra
{{Short description|Species of fungus}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Russula albonigra1.jpg
| genus = Russula
| species = albonigra
| authority = (Krombh.) Fr., 1874
| synonyms =
}}
{{mycomorphbox
| name = Russula albonigra
| whichGills = decurrent
| capShape = convex
| capShape2 = infundibuliform
| hymeniumType = gills
| stipeCharacter = bare
| sporePrintColor = white
| ecologicalType = mycorrhizal
| howEdible = caution
}}
Russula albonigra, commonly known as the blackening russula,{{Cite journal |last=Thiers |first=Harry D. |last2=Arora |first2=David |date=September 1980 |title=Mushrooms Demystified |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3759750 |journal=Mycologia |volume=72 |issue=5 |pages=1054 |doi=10.2307/3759750 |issn=0027-5514|url-access=subscription }} is a member of the genus Russula, all of which are collectively known as brittlegills. Its consumption is recommended against.
Taxonomy
First described by the mycologist Julius Vincenz von Krombholz in 1838, its specific epithet comes from Latin albus and niger, which mean white and black.
Description
The cap is up to {{Convert|20|cm|frac=4}} wide, convex to infundibuliform, whitish then blackening, and sometimes viscous.{{Cite book |last=Arora |first=David |author-link=David Arora |url=https://archive.org/details/arora-david-mushrooms-demystified-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-fleshy-fungi-ten-speed-press-1986/page/89/mode/2up |title=Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi |date=1986 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-0-89815-170-1 |edition=2nd |location=Berkeley, CA |pages=89 |orig-date=1979}} The stipe is up to {{Convert|13|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long, dusky, or white above, pale grey-ochreous towards the base. The gills are decurrent, crowded, thick, unequal, connected by veins, dusky whitish or yellowish. The flesh is white, turns black or sooty. The taste is somewhat bitter and unpleasant to mild.{{cite book | title = Synopsis of the British Basidiomycetes |pages= 281}}
Habitat and distribution
It grows under hardwood and conifer trees in North America, being found in such places as the Pacific Northwest.
Uses
It may be possible to eat if cooked thoroughly, but is of little interest and resembles a poisonous species.