Russula paludosa

Russula emetica - The Sickener

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

Family: Russulaceae

Despite being easily mistaken for the poisonous Sickener and growing in the same habitat – coniferous woodland – Russula paludosa is a popular edible mushroom in Scandinavia, where it is very common in spruce plantations.

The specific epithet paludosa suggests an association with boggy land, and this brittlegill often does occur under conifers (especially) pines in peaty, boggy areas... but by no means always so.

Identification Guide

Russula paludosa - cap

Cap

Red, purplish bay brown or ochre; occasionally with pale patches; peels 1/2 to centre; flesh is pink beneath cuticle; hemispherical then convex, becoming flat with a central depression; margin becoming striate; 5 to 15cm across.

Gills

Cream, turning light ochre; adnexed; crowded.

Stem

White; cylindrical, occasionally swollen in centre or with a slightly clavate base; 4 to 15cm long, 1 to 3cm dia.

Spore print

Deep cream.

Odour/taste

Not distinctive .

Habitat

Conifer forests. In Britain this it is an occasional find in the uplands of Scotland, while reports of it being sighted in England, Wales or Ireland are very few and far between.

Season

August to October.

Occurrence

Rare in southern Britain and Ireland; more common in Scotland.

Similar species

The Beechwood Sickener, Russula nobilis, is is found under conifers; it is similar to red specimens of Russula paludosa when caps are young but caps remain convex rather than becoming depressed when fully mature.