Species details
Purple brittlegill
Russula atropurpurea
Inedible
Photo: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A robust purple to wine-red Russula with an almost black cap centre, white stem and a more or less acrid taste.
Identification features
The cap is about 8–12 cm wide, purple to wine-red, often very dark centrally and glossy. Gills start white and may later brown-spot. The stem remains white.
Identification checklist
Check the very dark purple cap centre, white stem and young white gills. In Russula, colour alone is not sufficient for identification.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is about 8–12 cm wide, purple to wine-red, often very dark centrally and glossy.
- Hymenophore
- The gills are initially white, later sometimes developing brown spots.
- Stem
- The stem remains white.
Size
- Cap diameter
- 8–12 cm
Habitat
Grows with broadleaved and coniferous trees, often with oak and in mixed woods, from summer to late autumn; common.
Fruiting period
June, July, August, September, October, November
Ecology
- Host trees
- Oak (Quercus)
- Notes
- Grows with broadleaved and coniferous trees, often with oak and in mixed woods, from summer to late autumn; common.
How to separate similar species
Several wine-red or violet Russula are similar. Reliable identification requires a combination of colour, taste, spore print and habitat.