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A small, delicate, and highly variable agaric mushroom. It is characterized by its fragile texture, often peeling cap cuticle, and an intensely acrid, peppery taste which renders it inedible.
How to Identify
- Cap
- 2-6 cm diameter, convex to flat or depressed, purple to reddish or sometimes greenish, with a cuticle that peels easily.
- Gills
- White, adnate or slightly decurrent, thin, and closely spaced.
- Stem
- White, 2-5 cm long, often becoming fragile or hollow with age.
- Flesh
- White, thin, brittle, with a very acrid taste.
- Fruiting body
- Small, fragile, often with a sticky, shiny cap that fades in color.
- Habitat
- Mycorrhizal with deciduous and coniferous trees, commonly found in mossy woodland areas.
Key Facts
- Cap surfaces: Viscid when moist, shiny, smooth.
- Growth Form: Solitary or in small, scattered groups.
- Spore Print: White to pale cream.
- Body color: Highly variable; purple, reddish, or greenish tints.
- Odor: Faintly fruity or cedar-like.
- Flesh bruises: Does not bruise significantly.
- Height: 2-6 cm.
- Cap Diameter: 2-6 cm.
- Nutrient gathering: Ectomycorrhizal.
Toxic
Moderate ToxicityThe mushroom is considered inedible and mildly toxic due to its intense acridity and digestive irritants.
Quick Check
- Odor: Faint, sometimes fruity or reminiscent of cedar.
- Fruiting: Summer through autumn.
- Substrate: Mycorrhizal; usually associated with leaf litter or mossy soil under trees.
Where to Find
Temperate Europe
Widely distributed in deciduous and coniferous forests across European countries.
North America
Recorded in various regions, though taxonomic scrutiny suggests several look-alikes may be present.
Finding Tips
Look for the cuticle
The cap skin of Russula fragilis is particularly easy to peel off, often to halfway or more towards the center.
Taste test (with caution)
A tiny, minuscule piece of raw flesh touched to the tip of the tongue will reveal an immediate, sharp, peppery, or acrid sensation characteristic of the species.
Similar Species
Sickener
Russula emetica
Also known as: Russula emetica
Purple Brittlegill
Russula atropurpurea
Also known as: Russula atropurpurea
Scientific Classification
- Phylum
- Basidiomycota
- Class
- Agaricomycetes
- Order
- Russulales
- Family
- Russulaceae
- Genus
- Russula
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