| Russula versicolor Jul. Schäff. |
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common name(s) : Variable Brittlegill
synonyms: Russula blackfordiae edibility : inedible
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The cap is with variable shades : pale rose-violet with vinaceous tints, greenish to yellow ochre, convex then expanded and finally a bit depressed; its margin is striate or smooth (depending on authors). The cap surface is smooth, sticky when damp. The stem is white, becoming yellow with age, without ring. The flesh is white, yellowing when exposed to air; its taste is mild to hot (especially in young gills); the odour is faint, fruity; its texture is grainy (breaking like a chalk stick). The gills are cream then slightly yellowish, adnexed, crowded (nb of gills per 90° ~ 28 ). The spore print is pale ochre (E-F). This species is mycorrhizal. It grows on the ground, in broad-leaved or mixed woods, parks, most of the time with birch, sometimes aspen or alder. The fruiting period takes place from June to December.
Chemical tests : flesh becoming salmon pink when in contact with iron sulphate; quick reaction to Gaïac (bright blue); strong purple reaction of cap cystidia to sulpho-vanillin. Distinctive features : Cap with variable shades; yellow to ochre gills; white flesh, soon soft, turning yellow; shiny cap surface; step turning yellow from base up overnight; with birch Russula versicolor is quite rare and localised in the forest of Rambouillet, and is occasional, more generally speaking . | ||
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page updated on 14/01/18