Russula nigricans, commonly known as the blackening brittlegill or blackening russula, is a species of gilled mushroom. It is a member of the Russula subgenus Compactae. The cap is brown to grey and somewhat shiny, with a mild taste and, reportedly, an odour of empty wine barrels.
Source: Wikipedia
| Season | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
Distribution
Widespread and common
Habitat
On a wide range of soils under broadleaved and coniferous trees
Associates
Fagus, Picea, Pinus
Cap
Very firm, hard and brittle
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Flattened, Depressed |
| Surface | Smooth, Rugose |
| Width | 10 - 20 cm |
| Peeling | 3/4 |
Gills
Very thick and hard, numerous half or quarter gills present, bruising red then brown
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Spacing | distant |
Flesh
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Odour | A mix of fruit and mushroom |
| Taste | Mild then acidic |
Stem
Shorter than cap diameter, very firm and brittle
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Texture | Smooth |
| Shape | Cylindric |
| Bruising |
Macrochemicals
Guaiac strongly positive
| FeSO4 |
|---|
Spores
Warts up to 0.25μm high with very fine connectives and partial reticulum
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Subglobose |
| Ornamentation | Reticulate, Warty |
| Size | 7-8 x 6-7 μm |
Microscopic Features
Cuticular hyphae long, 3-6μm wide, rather simple, end cells long and fusiform
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Order: Russulales
- ↳ Family: Russulaceae
- ↳ Genus: Russula
Synonyms
- Agaricus elephantinus Sowerby
- Agaricus nigricans Bull.
- Omphalia adusta β elephantinus (Bolton) Gray
- Russula elephantina (Bolton) Fr.
- Russula nigrescens
- Russula nigrescens anon. ined.
- Russula nigricans (Bull. ex Merat) Fr.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby (2021) The Genus Russula in Great Britain. Geoffrey Kibby.
