Russula queletii - Fruity Brittlegill

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

Russula queletii, the Fruity Brittlegill, is mycorrhizal with spruce trees (Picea species) and is a fairly common find in the conifer plantations of western Britain and throughout most of Europe. Usually these brittlegills have purplish caps, but older specimens fade to become more of a violet-red colour.

The fruity odour from crushed fruitbodies is reminiscent of gooseberry jam, but if you taste the flesh you will find it surprisingly bitter.

Identification Guide

	Cap 3 to 7cm diameter, not noticeably grooved at the margin, the caps are initially convex, then expanding and becoming slightly depressed, often with a slight umbo. The cap flesh white.
	Gills The white or pale cream gills are adnate.
Stem	3 to 8cm long and 5 to 18mm in diameter, the stems are flushed with the same colour as the cap or somewhat paler.
Spore print	White.
Odour/taste	Fruity odour; acrid taste.
Habitat	In coniferous woodland with spruce trees.
Season	July to October.
Occurrence	Frequent; usually scattered rather than in large groups.
Similar species	Russula atropurpurea, the Purple Brittlegill, is larger with a very dark, almost black cap centre and pale cream gills; its stem base is rusty brown.