Russula amethystina

Russula amethystina
Russula amethystina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Russulales
Family:	Russulaceae
Genus:	Russula
Species:	R. amethystina
Binomial name
Russula amethystina Quélet (1897)

Russula amethystina Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is flat
	Hymenium is free
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white
	Ecology is mycorrhizal
	Edibility is edible

Russula amethystina is a conspicuous mushroom, which appears sporadically from mid-summer until the autumn under spruce and fir trees. In Northern Europe, it is very rare. It is edible, but not very easy to distinguish from similarly coloured Russula species, and practically identical to Russula turci from which it can only be distinguished by microscopic differences in spore texture.

Description

• The cap can be up to 12 cm in diameter and varies in colour between violet, lilac, wine-red and wine-red-brown.
• The cap skin can be pulled off from the edge, right to the centre.
• The gills are from cream to bright yellow. Spore print is cream to light orange.
• The hollow stipe is initially white, later becoming yellowish or brownish.

See also

• List of Russula species

References

• J.H. Petersen and J. Vesterholt (eds.) (1990). Danske storsvampe. Basidiesvampe. Gyldendal. Viborg, Denmark. ISBN 87-01-09932-9. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
• Image from the Russulales news web site