Russula densifolia    Gillet 

common name(s) : Crowded Brittlegill1, Many-gilled Russula 

New classification: Basidiomycota/Agaricomycotina/Agaricomycetes/Incertae sedis/Russulales/Russulaceae  
Former classification: Basidiomycota/Homobasidiomycetes/Agaricomycetideae/Russulales/Russulaceae  

edibility : discard

photo gallery of  Russula densifolia
photo gallery of  Russula densifolia potential confusions with  Russula densifolia toxicity of Russula densifolia genus Russula  

The cap is grey-brown to olive brown or blackish, convex then flat or depressed ; its margin is smooth. The cap surface is smooth, non viscid (or very slightly).

The stem is white to blackish, without ring.

The flesh is white, turning slowly red (in 5 mns) then black when exposed to air; its taste is mild (flesh) to slightly hot (gills); the odour is faint, of dust or old barrel; its texture is grainy (breaking like a chalk stick).

The gills are cream, adnate to decurrent, crowded (nb of gills per 90° ~ 40 ). The spore print is white. This species is mycorrhizal. It grows on the ground, more frequently in broad-leaved woods, rarely with conifers, on a rather acid soil, with oak, beech, pine, spruce.

The fruiting period takes place from July to November.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 7 cm (between 3 and 10 cm)
  height of stem approximately 6 cm (between 3 and 10 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 15 mm (between 7 and 30 mm)

Chemical tests : flesh becoming grey-pink when in contact with iron sulphate; slow and faint reaction to Gaïac; negative reaction to sulpho-vanillin.

Distinctive features : White then matt, whitish then brown, margin remaining pale a long time; flesh reddening slowly when cut (5mns) then blackening to dark grey; gills very crowded; taste mild (flesh) to hot (gills)

Russula densifolia is frequent and very widely present in the forest of Rambouillet, and is frequent, more generally speaking .
here should be the distribution map of Russula densifolia in the forest of Rambouillet
Above : distribution map of Russula densifolia in the forest of Rambouillet



page updated on 14/01/18