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Rosy-capped mushroom on a mossy log
Russula sp. Genus
Angles captured. Two from directly above showing the cap outline, then two low profiles from opposite sides showing the stipe.
Morphology
Cap 7–9 cm, soft salmon to rose-pink, paler and cream toward the irregular margin, dry and matte, and distinctly lobed and kidney-shaped rather than circular — the cap appears to have grown around an obstruction. Surface scattered with dark debris. Stipe white, short and stout, chalky. Gills pale, not clearly resolved.
Habitat & substrate
Growing from moss and thin soil on top of a large rotting log, with fallen oak leaves and a yellow birch leaf alongside. Late-season fruiting in the last week of October.
Lookalikes & what rules them out
The white chalky stipe and pink dry cap suggest Russula. The strongly lobed cap is unusual and probably a growth deformation rather than a character.
To confirm this identification
Gill attachment and a spore print. Also worth checking whether it is truly on the log or rooted in soil beneath it — Russula is ectomycorrhizal and should not be fruiting from dead wood.
Notes
Latest-season agaric in the guide, and the one most worth resolving: a Russula genuinely fruiting from a log would be a surprise.
Found at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester, MA on Saturday, 25 October 2025 at 11:33. See the full walk for that day's weather and everything else recorded.
Others in this group
Red Russula at an oak baseRussula sp. · Jul 23High for genus
Yellow-capped RussulaRussula sp. · Jul 31Moderate
Salmon-pink Russula on mossRussula sp. · Jul 31Moderate
Cluster with cracked orange-brown capsLactifluus or Lactarius · Jul 31Moderate
Rose-red Russula on mossRussula sp. · Aug 1High for genus
Large grey-brown brittlegillRussula sp. · Aug 1Moderate
Rosy cap with orange gillsLactarius sp. · Aug 6Moderate
Pink Russula on a mossy rockRussula sp. · Aug 6Moderate–high