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Sticky - where damaged on cap surface - see the 'caramel' where the cap has peeled away from gills. Very thick-skinned and leathery suede feel on disc. Spermatic smell. Semi-brittle gills that smush together (See photo 10) Stipe crumbles with diamond pockets in it. Under arbutus, no other possible tree affiliate as this is centre of parking lot and Arbutus only tree here. Photo 10 - No KOH rxn. Taste: Numb then peppery/burns.
Using the SVIMS Russula paper below - Table pg 113 - Sect Pectinata
Cells of Epicutis - Pg 6 - Type 3 - Shortly clavate or broad with obtuse end (75-100um long, bulbous tip, 50 um wide)
Spore ornamentation type: 2E warts 0.4-1.0 um high, partial reticulum, a few spores type 2B type - warts connected in groups of 2-3
2-spored basidia seen. sub(?) capitate cystidia, 6-9 um wide, some septate - see photo 14. Hard to see how long these are (very densely packed)
https://www.svims.ca/council/Russul12.pdf
Using table page 113: Characters matched:
R. sororia 7/15
R. amoenolens 6/15
R. cerolens 11/15
R. pectinatoides 10/15
R. pectinata 3/15
I am lacking some of the required stains.

Using Alpental guide: https://www.alpental.com/psms/ddd/Russula/index.htm

Matches Ingratulata I/II on 6 characters:
Hot pepper, Spermatic, Peeling, Brown under pellicule, Diamond holes in stipe, Greyish brown patches on stipe surface - no exact visual match with Alpental

Matches heterophyllidia I/II on 7 characters:
Peeling cap, pale yellow spores, brown under pellicule, thick pruinose/leathery 'skin', dry, dark brown cap colour, gills smush together
No exact visual match on Alpental.
1800 Russula species and I can't find one that adds up to 100% on characters.
Spores (6.5-8.0)x(5.25-6.25) - Photo 11 (in KOH) Photo 12 (amyloid)- wart pattern.

Very unusual characters: Forking of gills near margin (?), excessive anastomosing between gills (See photo 2), Very wide 'cat's paw' base of stipe. (Mar8,'24 - On reviewing, I think these 'forks' are actually subgills - aged specimen)

Mar 10/2024: starting comparison with R. olivacea description from Woo's key starting pg 345. Characters not matching description:
1) Size 6-7.5 cm (too small compared to Woo)
2) Cap colour on disk coffee coloured. (No olive or green)
3) surface has a few deep radial cracks extending from just outside disc to margin, thick and crustose.Surface cracking does not match 'Surface breaking up into concentric areoli'
4) Gills are cream to pale yellow with some darkening to ochre in spots near margin with aging. 'Gills becoming deep egg yolk yellow at maturity' in Woo
5) Stipe has a few diamond shaped cavities in stipe - stipe expected to be solid with no cavities in Woo desc.
6) Stipe grey-brown on outside. (flushed pink in Woo)
7) Stipe with very wide cat's paw base here. 'Only slightly clavate' in Woo.
8) Base aged ochraceous here. 'Base aged/bruised brown' in Woo.
9) Sticky 'caramel' here - (not mentioned in Woo).
10) Flat cap (not inverted soup bowl)
11) Flesh greyish brown beneath cutis (dull green or greyish purple in Woo)
12) Narrow gills (ventricose in Woo)
13) Gills mush together, stipe brittle though. (texture not brittle except in the gills)
14) Taste numb then peppery (mild, nutty, slightly sweet in Woo)
15) Odour spermatic (not distinctive to fruity or like meat)
16) Spore colour pale yellow (deep ochre yellow Woo)
17) Spore size (6.5-8.0)x(5.25-6.25) - way smaller than Woo (8.6-13.6)x(7-11.8)
18) Spore ornamentation too small (0.4-1.0) high - (.5-1.4) in Woo
19) Ornament type 2E to 2B with partial reticulum, whereas woo 'mostly isolated...not forming a reticulum.
..types 2A-3A-2B-3B'
20) No distinct suprahilar patch in Meltzer's
21) Cutis is strongly sticky/gelatinized: see 'caramel' 75-100um thick, subcutis is grey brown, no cells with greenish brown contents, tips are type 3 - inflated tips 50um across (woo: 90-150, subcutis greyish pink, epicutis inflated cells 10um wide, some hyphae with greenish brown contents)
22) KOH had no reaction (Reddish on cap surface - Woo)
23) Arbutus tree affiliate (Conifers - Woo)
Black book pg 85

Basidiocarp: up to 1 mm wide, cup shaped when moist (first photo), light gray smooth upper surface, white tomentose lower surface which contracts into spheres covering the upper surface in dry conditions (second photo), sessile
Odor: insignificant
Taste: not sampled
Habit: gregarious
Substrate: in brown necrotic zones on the underside of a Gaultheria shallon (salal) leaf
Habitat: mixed conifer/hardwood forest dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii and Acer macrophyllum
Elevation: 159 m
Basidiospores: amygdaliform, apiculate, avg 11.6 × 9.1 µm
Hairs: cylindrical with blunt apex, granularly encrusted, 4-5.5 µm wide

Cap brown, umbonate, viscid, 1.7 cm

Stem silky, violet hues on lower part, 6 cm X .7 cm

Spores brown, cortina leaves spore-colored zone.

Smell of sulphur, mercaptan, coal tar

Taste mild.

Growing on soil in beaten path, conifers nearby, single stems.

A quadripartite interaction between a Merismodes sp., a diatrypaceous fungus, a Dialonectria sp., and an indet. helotialean cup. The Merismodes sp. has an obvious affinity for the erumpent stromata of the diatrypaceous fungus, but will also occur elsewhere on the substrate, where there doesn't appear to be any evidence of stromatal growth/tissue. The Dialonectria sp., however, forms exclusively atop the ostioles of the diatrypaceous fungus, and upon these perithecia grow an as of yet unidentified discomycete. Apparently, this is not an uncommon habit for Merismodes; growing atop the stromatal surfaces of various diatrypaceous fungi. Another observation of Merismodes forming a close association with diatrypaceous stromata, on the same substrate (birch), in the same biogeographic region (southern Appalachian highlands) is shown and discussed in the following blog post: https://weirdandwonderfulwildmushrooms.blogspot.com/2014/04/

under 1mm diam., tucked in amongst the deceptively similar, black-bordered primordia of neighboring Perrotia flammea (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/163625669). On same substrate as https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/163625666 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/163625665 as well. ITS and micro forthcoming.

Collected during the 2023 Spring Meeting of the Pacific Northwest Key Council in Peachland, British Columbia, Canada.

Ok, quite a few mistakes on my part ;) Revisit shows this is not a cherry tree, it is a trembling aspen! And yes, it is an insect gall of some kind. I suspect one of the species listed on pg 84 of this link https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3833855.pdf

See http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51659356 on the island.
Photo 16 looks like bright orange conidiogenic cells (x1000) 1div=1um Yeast ? Or Trichothecium roseum teleomorph? See also photo 11 between the number 4 and 5 on the ruler: not sure if that is Blastic-retrogressive conidiogenesis - as seen in Trichothecium anamorphs? Note 1 div=2.5 um. Also compare photo 5 with photo 17 Light green has turned black. 03/25 : Added what the sample turned into after two months in a sealed container, room temperature. May 21, 2023 discovered other 'Diatrype' style dark sooty mold on maple nearby and on Trembling aspen. I note how dark the holes here are: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/163340797 - and the feeding trails are there but they are faint. Black book pg 22-24

Anamorphic fungi was growing directly from decorticated ?hardwood log.
Conidia with 3-septa, middle cells are dark brown, the ends are hyaline, measured
(32) 34.7 - 41.4 (43) × (10.7) 11.3 - 12.3 (12.7) µm
Q = (2.6) 2.9 - 3.5 (3.7) ; N = 19
Me = 37.9 × 11.9 µm ; Qe = 3.2
Conidiophores 130-152um in length.
Next to Calycina citrina and Helicoma muelleri.

On decorticated log next to Arachnopeziza trabinelloides anamorphic fungi.
Conidia dark brown with 3 septa, measured
(14.5) 14.9 - 22.6 (23.6) × (7) 8.5 - 13.8 (13.9) µm
Q = 1.6 - 1.9 (2.1) ; N = 11
Me = 20.3 × 11.5 µm ; Qe = 1.8