Julius Schäffer

Julius Schäffer was a German mycologist. His contributions include studies on the Agaricales, especially the genus Russula, about which he wrote a monograph in 1933 and issued the exsiccata Russulae exsiccatae a Jul. Schaeffer in Annal. Mycolog. vol. 31 & 32 (Russula-Monographie) descriptae. Later, he revised the genus in the series Die Pilze Mitteleuropas (1926–1967); his notes were published posthumously by his wife Liesel in 1952 with the help of other mycologists. The work was considered the "authoritative treatment of the group for Central Europe". One of the Russula species that was first described in this publication was R. laeta. Schäffer developed a chemical test to help with the identification of Agaricus species. A positive reaction of Schaeffer's test, which uses the reaction of aniline and nitric acid on the surface of the mushroom, is indicated by an orange-to-red color; it is characteristic of species in the section Flavescentes. The compounds responsible for the reaction were named schaefferal A and B to honor Schäffer.