Russula illota

Russula illota

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

Family: Russulaceae

Russula illota (syn. Russula laurocerasi var. illota) is an untidy fungus, usually damaged before it emerges from the forest floor, and very often with a hole in the cap through to the centre of the hollow stipe.

The macroscopic characters of this brittlegill differ very little from those of Russula grata and Russula foetens, and confident separation of these three very similar species is difficult and usually requires microscopic examination.

Identification Guide

Cap

5 to 10cm in diameter and more or less flat or slightly depressed in the centre when fully developed, the caps are spherical when young.

Honey brown and rather blotchy, the cap surface is viscid and develops intense radial ridges.

Gills

The narrow, adnexed gills are moderately close together; they are very brittle. Initially cream, the gills darken with age and their edges develop violaceous-brown 'dots and dashes'.

Stem

15 to 35mm in diameter and 4 to 8cm tall, the stems are white and solid, developing internal cavities; vinaceous-brown dashes deleop loongitudinally down the stems as they age.

Spore print

Cream.

Odour/taste

Very variable (often in between Russula grata and Russula foetens) and so not generally of much help with identification.

Habitat

Coniferous and broad-leaf woodland, most commonly on chalky soil

Season

August to November.

Occurrence

Infrequent.

Similar species

Russula grata and Russula foetens are similar to Russula illota in appearance, habitat and season. Few people can tell these three fungi apart with any certainty without resorting to microscopic examination.