Russula sanguinaria - Bloody Brittlegill

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

Russula sanguinaria (syn. Russula sanguinea) is an infrequent species found mainly under pine trees. The cap and stem are various shades of red, often with some white areas.

The Bloody Brittlegill is generally considered an inedible mushroom, because its flesh is rather hot. In any case it is unusual to find more than the occasional scattered group, and so this is not the best of mushrooms to rely on if you are really hungry.

Identification Guide

Red and purple brittlegills are particularly difficult to identify with certainty without resorting to chemical tests and microscopic examination, but specimens of Russula sanguinaria with red-flushed stems are quite distinctive.

You may also find this mushroom recorded under its synonymous scientific name Russula sanguinea.

	Cap 4 to 10cm in diameter, the caps are convex at first, becoming flat and often with slightly depressed centres. Blood red or purple-red, often with whitish areas, the cap cuticle easily peels marginally.
	Gills Adnexed or slightly decurrent, the narrow, brittle, forked gills are at first cream and then pale ochre, darkening slightly as the fruiting body ages.
Stem	10 to 30mm in diameter and 4 to 10cm tall, the brittle stems are flushed red or purple. There is no stem ring.
Spore print	Cream.
Odour/taste	Faint fruity odour; somewhat hot taste.
Habitat	In coniferous woodland, mainly under pines.
Season	July to October.
Occurrence	Infrequent.
Similar species	Russula xerampelina is sometimes red with a stem also flushed the same colour; it smells of crab meat.