Keys to Russula and Lactarius species in New Zealand
The distribution and abundance of New Zealand species of Russula and Lactarius is poorly known. Eight species are currently listed as ‘Nationally Critical’ under the current conservation threat classification. Many more are listed as ‘Data Deficient’ due to poor historical recording. Russula and Lactarius species occur throughout the world and are relatively easy to recognise at the generic level, but it is often difficult to identify collections to known species due to variation in key characters such as colour.