Species details
Bloody brittlegill
Russula sanguinaria
Inedible
Photo: pinonbistro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A cherry- to blood-red Russula with a pink-red stem and very acrid, bitter flesh.
Identification features
The cap is up to 10 cm wide, smooth, red, and may fade strongly with age. Gills start white and become slightly ochre. The stem is often pink-red and narrows toward the base.
Identification checklist
Check the red cap, often pink-red stem, pale gills, and pine habitat. Red Russula are difficult, so colour alone is insufficient.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is up to 10 cm wide, smooth, red, and may fade strongly with age.
- Hymenophore
- Gills start white and become slightly ochre.
- Stem
- The stem is often pink-red and narrows toward the base.
Size
- Cap diameter
- ≤ 10 cm
Habitat
Grows mainly in coniferous woodland, especially with pine and on grassy pine-wood edges, in summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Host trees
- Pine (Pinus)
- Substrate
- Grassland
- Notes
- Grows mainly in coniferous woodland, especially with pine and on grassy pine-wood edges, in summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Russula paludosa is larger and milder; Russula emetica usually has a white stem. Use habitat together with other characters.