Powdery Brittlegill

Russula parazurea Jul. Schäff.

1 Observations

2 weeks ago Last Observed

The Powdery Brittlegill (Russula parazurea) is a medium-sized brittlegill with a dull, bloomed cap in muted greys, blue-greens and lilac tones. Young caps look dusted with fine powder, which wears off with age and rain. The gills are crowded and cream, often forked, and the white stem is firm at first but soon becomes fragile and chalky when snapped.

It is common and found throughout the UK, fruiting from July to October in mixed woods, particularly with oak or pine, and often along rides and path edges. It is usually solitary or in small scattered groups.

The main lookalikes are Russula cyanoxantha (Charcoal Burner), which lacks the powdery bloom and has pliant, greasy-feeling gills that do not snap, and Russula azurea, a spruce associate that is rarely recorded in Britain. Other grey-green and lilac brittlegills, such as Russula ionochlora, can also cause confusion. Brittlegills are hard to separate reliably, and some are acrid or upset the stomach, so never eat one unless it has been identified with certainty by an expert.

Spore Print

Season

Native

non-toxic

Distribution

Common everywhere

Habitat

In mixed woods, especially with Quercus or Pinus

Etymology

Russula comes from Latin russulus, meaning reddish, referring to the red caps of many brittlegills, though plenty of species, including this one, are not red. The epithet parazurea is Latin, from the Greek-derived prefix para (near, beside) plus azurea (azure blue), so 'nearly blue', alluding to the bluish tinge of the cap and its similarity to Russula azurea.

Associates

Pinus, Quercus

Conservation

LC - Least Concern

IUCN Red Data List - Russula parazurea
Assessment date: 2025

Cap

Dull and matt rather than shiny, with a fine whitish bloom on young caps that gives a dusted look and gradually wears away. The colour is often uneven, with grey-brown, blue-green or lilac shades blending across the surface. Expanding caps flatten and may become slightly dished, and the margin becomes finely grooved with age. The skin peels about two-thirds of the way towards the centre.

Colour
Width	3 - 8 cm
Peeling	33/50

Gills

Many of the gills are forked. They are brittle and cream, and young gills can taste slightly acrid.

Colour
Spacing	close

Flesh

White and brittle in the cap, with a chalky snap in the stem. The stem flesh may show a faint pinkish-brown tone. The taste is mild, though young gills can be slightly acrid, and there is no distinctive smell.