Russula cessans Pearson
Cap 3-8cm across, soon flattened; deep crimson to purplish red, often darker at the center; smooth, dry; peels halfway. Gills fairly close; pale ochre. Stem 30-50 x 10-20mm, equal; white. Flesh white. Odor not distinctive. Taste mild. Spores broadly ovoid, 8-9 x 7-8µ; warts 0.6-1µ, high, many connectives forming a partial reticulum. Deposit deep ochre (G). Habitat under eastern white pine. Found in New Jersey. Season September-November. Edible. (Never eat any mushroom until you are certain it is edible as many are poisonous and some are deadly poisonous) Comment This collection agrees very well with the original description of Pearson and other British authors. Recent descriptions by European authors seem to include a much wider range of cap colors; they are possibly describing a mixture of species.