| Author | Rayner, R.W. |
| Year | 1985 |
| Title | Keys to the British Species of Russula |
| Type | Book/Report |
| How Complete | All 115 British species then known |
| Source | 3 edition, 99pp, British Mycological Society |
| Illustrations | A page each of line drawings of dermatocystidia and representative spore types. |
| Review (by Malcolm Storey) | For many years the most accessible work for identifying Russula, but now sadly out of date following the discovery of many more species in our area. The booklet is in four sections: 1. Field Key to species (useful for a first guess and to sort out which specimens to identify properly). 2. Key to species using microscopic characters (much more reliable than above). 3. Tabulation of species with specific characters. 4. Species descriptions. The keys are indented with couplets often split over several pages, often with multiple alternatives. Because of their inherent variability, the species generally key out in several places. All a bit confusing at first but you soon learn the structure of it. |
| Examine |  with x8 or x10 hand lens ( Compound Microscope is also useful) |
| Specimen Preparation | Spore prints for accurate spore colour, microscopy of cap scalps in Sulphovanillin and Creyl Blue, and spores in Melzer’s Iodine |
| Identification difficulty | Not actually that difficult if you do the microscopy. |
