Russula almond (Grateful Russula)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (of uncertain position)
- Order: Russulales (Russulovye)
- Family: Russulaceae (Russula)
- Genus: Russula (Russula)
- Type: Russula grata (Russula almond)
Russula laurel cherry or Russula almond (lat. Grateful Russula) was described by the Czech mushroom researcher V. Meltzer. Russula laurel cherry has a hat of medium size – from five to eight centimeters. At a young age, the cap is convex, then opens, and finally becomes concave. The hat is scarred along the edges.
The fungus is a member of the russula family, which has up to 275 different genera.
Like all types of russula, Russula grata is an agaric fungus. The plates have a whitish, creamy, less often ocher color. The location is frequent, the length is unequal, sometimes there may be a pointed edge.
The color of the cap of this mushroom varies. At first it is ocher-yellow, and as the fungus ages, it becomes darker, a distinct brownish-honey color. The plates are usually white, occasionally cream or beige. The old mushroom has plates of rusty shades.
Leg – light shades, from below – a brown shade. Its length is up to ten centimeters. Its pulp attracts attention – a burning taste with a characteristic almond tint. Spore powder is cream-colored.
Russula laurel cherry can be found in scattered areas, mainly in summer and autumn. It lives most often in deciduous and mixed forests, very rarely – in coniferous. Likes to grow under oaks, beeches. Usually grows singly.
Refers to edible mushrooms.
Russula is also very noticeably similar to valui. It is larger, has a burning taste and an unpleasant smell of spoiled oil. Also refers to the edible representatives of the mushroom kingdom.