| Russula turci Bres. |
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common name(s) : Pirate Brittlegill, Turco's Russula
synonyms: Russula amethystina ss.auct. edibility : discard
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The cap is amethyst violet to Bordeaux, dark purple-blackish at the centre, giving it a roundel look, convex then expanded and soon depressed, sometimes with a short umbo; its margin is smooth to slightly striate when matured. The cap surface is smooth, viscid when damp (especially at centre) but velvety in dry weather (especially at margin). The stem is white to yellowish or brownish, without ring. The flesh is white, unchanging; its taste is mild; the odour is of iodine, especially at stem base; its texture is grainy (breaking like a chalk stick). The gills are yellow, free to emarginate, distant for a Russula (nb of gills per 90° ~ 31 ). The spore print is pale yellow to pale ochre. This species is mycorrhizal. It grows on the ground, in coniferous woods, with pine mostly, also with fir, spruce. The fruiting period takes place from June to November.
Chemical tests : negative reaction when in contact with iron sulphate or sulpho-vanillin. Distinctive features : two-coloured cap, purple at the rim and darker, blackish, in the centre; very viscid cap in damp weather; distinct smell of iodine at stem base; white gills, eventually becoming yellow; white stem; with conifers Russula turci is quite rare and scattered in the forest of Rambouillet, and is occasional, more generally speaking . | ||
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page updated on 14/01/18