Charcoal Burner

Russula cyanoxantha (Schaeff.) Fr.

1 Observations

1 year ago Last Observed

The Charcoal Burner (Russula cyanoxantha) is one of the most variable brittlegills, with a cap that can be violet, greyish-violet, green or a mixture of colours. Its best feature is its white gills, which are crowded and flexible: run a finger across them and they bend instead of breaking, unlike those of almost every other brittlegill. The firm white stem often has a faint lavender flush.

It grows under a wide range of broadleaf trees and conifers, especially beech, from June into October, and is widespread and common.

The Crab Brittlegill (Russula xerampelina) has brittle gills and develops a fishy smell, and the Greencracked Brittlegill (Russula virescens) has a cracked green cap. The Charcoal Burner is a good edible, but brittlegills are hard to tell apart and some cause stomach upsets.

Spore Print

Season

Native

non-toxic

Distribution

Widespread and common

Habitat

Under a wide range of broadleaved and conifer trees

Etymology

Russula is a diminutive of the Latin russus, 'reddish', after the red caps of many species. cyanoxantha is from the Greek kyanos, 'blue', and xanthos, 'yellow', after the range of cap colours.

Associates

Fagus

Conservation

LC - Least Concern

IUCN Red Data List - Russula cyanoxantha
Assessment date: 2025

Cap

Violet, greyish-violet or green, often mixed and darker at the centre; the skin peels about halfway.

Colour
Shape	Convex, Depressed
Surface	Smooth
Width	4 - 15 cm
Peeling	1/2

Gills

The gills are white, crowded and greasy to the touch, narrowly attached or slightly decurrent. They are flexible and bend rather than snap, with no forking but strongly and repeatedly bifurcating in the var. variata.