42 KAVAKA53: 42-47 (2019) Adoi:10.36460/Kavaka/53/2019/42-47 Achecklist of agaricoid russulaceous mushrooms from Jammu and Kashmir, India Komal Verma*, S.A.J. Hashmi*, N.S.Atri** andYash Pal Sharma* *Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu -180006 **Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala-147002 Corresponding author’sEmail:
[email protected] (Submitted onAugust 13, 2019 ;Accepted on November 15, 2019) ABSTRACT AliteraturebasedchecklistofthefamilyRussulaceae occurringinJammuandKashmir(J&K),Indiaispresented.Itconsistsof51 species of russulaceousmushroomsbelongingtothreegeneraviz.,Russula , Lactarius and Lactifluus .Genus Russula isthemostspecioserich(35spp.), followedbyLactarius (12spp.)and Lactifluus (4spp.).ThischecklistprovidesacomprehensivedataoftherussulaceousmushroomsfromJ&K. KEYWORDS: Ectomycorrhizal,Inventory,Jammu,KashmirValley,Russulaceae . INTRODUCTION Himalayan region. After a long gap, Watling and Gregory (1980) started the work on russulaceous mushrooms which Fungal familyRussulaceae, one of the 12 families recognized was further carried out by Abrahamet al . (1980, 1981, 1984), under the orderRussulales, is well known for its Abraham and Kaul (1985) and Watling and Abraham (1992). ectomycorrhizal association with higher plants (Kirk et al., Majority of the work on russulaceous mushrooms of Jammu 2008). Being ectomycorrhizal, these mushrooms play a and Kashmir was done by Saini, Atri and coworkers (Saini critical ecological role in terrestrial ecosystems through and Atri, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1993; Sainiet al ., 1982, symbiotic association with higher plants. Initially, macro- 1988, 1989; Atri and Saini 1986, 1988; Atriet al ., 1993, fungal species belonging to this family were placed with other 1994). A significant contribution to these mushrooms from gilled species in the orderAgaricales . Subsequent Kashmir was made by Beiget al . (2008, 2011), Dar et al . microscopic, molecular and phylogenetic studies confirmed (2009), Palaet al .