| Identification |
This is a common, large, brightly colored mushroom. It is found on the ground in hardwood and mixed hardwood and coniferous forests from July to September. It grows on the roots of oaks and other hardwoods.
The cap is convex when young. As it ages it flattens and sometimes develops a shallow depression at the center. It is scarlet to pinkish red, dull, sticky, and 2″ to 4″ in diameter. It develops a cracked surface with age. The skin peels only near the margin, and with difficulty.
The gills are white, well spaced, and attached to the stem.
The stem is fairly smooth, white, often flushed with pink, 1¼″ to 4″ tall, and ⅝″ to 1″ in diameter.
The flesh is white. Like all Russulas, it is brittle, not fibrous, leading to the common name for this genus, Brittlegill. If you hold the stem and push up on the cap, the cap will snap off cleanly. The taste is mild.
The spores are pale cream in color.
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