The Rosy Brittlegill (Russula rosea) is a firm, handsome brittlegill of beech woods. Its dry, matt cap comes in shades of pink to deep red and is often washed with cream or white patches. Unlike many red brittlegills, the cap skin hardly peels. The gills are white to cream and fork near the stem, and the hard white stem is usually flushed with red, which is a useful clue.
It grows under broadleaf trees, especially beech, and sometimes with conifers, from July into October. The taste is mild, often with a hint of cedarwood or menthol, though sometimes slightly bitter. Older British books call it Russula lepida.
The Beechwood Sickener (Russula nobilis) grows in the same places but has a pure white stem and a very hot, peppery taste, and it is poisonous. Edibility reports for the Rosy Brittlegill disagree too, so it is best left alone.
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Distribution
Widespread
Habitat
Under broadleaved trees, particularly Fagus, sometimes conifers
Etymology
Russula is a diminutive of the Latin russus, 'reddish', after the red caps of many species. rosea is Latin for 'rose-coloured', after the cap.
Associates
Fagus
Conservation
Cap
Convex then flattened, 5-12 cm across, with a dry, matt, smooth surface that is frequently spotted with white areas. The colour is red to rose, often paler towards the centre, and the cuticle is adnate, so it does not peel.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Convex, Flattened |
| Surface | Smooth |
| Width | 5 - 12 cm |
Gills
The gills are white to cream, close, very brittle and nearly free at the stem. They fork near the stem.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Spacing | close |
Flesh
White, hard and brittle.
| Odour | Pleasant, fruity-menthol |
|---|---|
| Taste | Mild, with taste of cedarwood or menthol, sometimes slightly bitter |
Stem
The stem is hard, solid and brittle, 4-10 cm long, and variable in colour. It is white, usually flushed red, especially above, and may be pure white.
| Colour |
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Macrochemicals
Guaiac reacts rapidly positive, turning blue, and FeSO4 (iron salts) turns the flesh pink.
| FeSO4 | |
|---|---|
| Guaiac |
Spores
The warts are up to 0.5μm high, with an almost complete reticulum.
| Colour | |
|---|---|
| Shape | Subglobose |
| Ornamentation | Reticulate, Warty |
| Size | 7-9 x 6.4-7.4 μm |
Microscopic Features
The pileocystidia are pointed clavate (club-shaped). Fuchsinophile hyphae, which stain strongly with fuchsin, are also present.
| Dermatocystidia | Clavate |
|---|
Classification
- ↳ Phylum: Basidiomycota
- ↳ Subphylum: Agaricomycotina
- ↳ Class: Agaricomycetes
- ↳ Order: Russulales
- ↳ Family: Russulaceae
- ↳ Genus: Russula
Synonyms
- Agaricus lacteus Pers.
- Russula lactea Fr.
- Russula lepida Fr.
- Russula lepida var. alba Rea
- Russula lepida var. lactea (Fr.) F.H. Møller & Jul. Schäff.
- Russula linnaei sensu auct.
Reference Sources
T. Læssøe, J. H. Peterson (2019) Fungi of Temperate Europe Vol. 1. Princeton University Press.
G. Kibby, M. Tortelli, F. Hampe, C. V. Soler (2026) The Genus Russula in Great Britain with keys to species. Geoffrey Kibby.
