=R. aura´ta= Fr.—_aurum_, gold. =Pileus= 2–3 in. broad, varying _lemon-yellow, orange and red_, disk darker, fleshy, _rigid_, brittle however, hemispherical then plane, disk not depressed, pellicle thin, adnate, viscid in wet weather, _margin even_, and slightly striate only when old, but sometimes wrinkled. =Flesh= _lemon-yellow_ under the pellicle, white below. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, solid, _firm_, but spongy within, cylindrical, obsoletely striate, white or lemon-yellow. =Gills= rounded free, connected by veins, broad, equal, shining, never pulverulent, whitish inclining to light yellow, but vivid _lemon-yellow at the edge_. _Fries._ West Virginia, 1881–1885; Pennsylvania, 1887–1898. In woods under pines. July to October. _McIlvaine._ Pileus sometimes depressed in center, very viscid when wet. A troop of this Russula upon brown wood mat is a pretty sight. Its rich and brightly-colored cap attracts the eye from a distance. The yellow edge of its gills is the distinctive mark of the species. The smell is pleasant, the taste slightly of cherry bark. Cooked it is one of the best Russulæ. =R. atropurpu´rea= Pk.—_atre_, black; _purpureus_, purple. Dark purple Russula. =Pileus= 3–4 in. broad, at first convex, then centrally depressed, glabrous, dark purple, blackish in the center, the margin even or slightly striate. =Flesh= white, grayish or grayish-purple under the separable pellicle, taste mild, odor of the drying plant fetid, very unpleasant. =Lamellæ= nearly equal, subdistant, sometimes forked near the stem, at first white, then yellowish, becoming brownish where bruised. =Stem= 2–3 in. long, 5–8 lines thick, equal, glabrous, spongy within, white, brownish where bruised. =Spores= subglobose, minutely rough, pale ochraceous with a salmon tint, 8–10µ. Open woods. Gansevoort. July. In color this species resembles R. variata, but in other respects it is very different. It is very distinct in the peculiar color of its spores, and in the brownish hue assumed by wounds. _Peck_, 41st Rep. N.Y. State Bot. West Philadelphia, Pa. July, 1897. Open woods. Solitary. Philadelphia Myc. Center. Many were eaten and enjoyed. Only fresh plants are acceptable, and they should be cooked as soon as gathered. Even in wilting they become unpleasant. *** _Gills and spores ochraceous._ =R. aluta´cea= Fr.—_aluta_, tanned leather. =Pileus= 2–4 in. broad, commonly bright blood-color or _red_, even black-purple, but becoming pale, especially at the disk, fleshy, bell-shaped then convex, flattened and somewhat umbilicate, even, _with a remarkably sticky pellicle, margin thin, at length striate, tubercular_. =Flesh= _snow-white_. =Stem= 2 in. long, solid, stout, equal, even, white, most frequently _variegated-reddish_, even purple. =Gills= at first free, _thick, very broad_, connected by veins, all equal, somewhat distant, at first pallid light yellow, then bright ochraceous, not pulverulent.