Species details
Fruity brittlegill
Russula queletii
Inedible
Photo: bjoerns · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A blood-red to violet-red Russula with a reddish-flushed stem, fruity smell, and very acrid flesh.
Identification features
The cap is red to purplish-violet and shiny when moist. Gills start white and become cream to yellowish. The stem is often distinctly flushed violet-red.
Identification checklist
Check the violet-red cap and stem, pale gills, fruity smell, and brittle Russula texture. FungiTrail does not recommend tasting acrid flesh.
How to separate similar species
Russula sardonia is similarly coloured and also acrid. Red Russula are difficult, so colour alone is insufficient.
Habitat
Grows mainly under spruce, often on basic soils, in summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October