Blackening Brittlegill

Russula adusta

Coniferous, rarely deciduous forests, likes the shelter of pines. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies large. Cap 7-12 (18) cm across, fleshy, the cuticle does not peel; damp, slimy, matt; when young it is white, quickly becoming cream, eventually greyish-blackish, dirty black. Gills cream, when old greyish-blackish, thin, crowded, subdecurrent. Stem 3-6 (10)x2-5 cm, firm, white, greyish, later the colour of the cap. Flesh not bitter in taste, turning greyish or only slightly brownish when cut or broken, later blackish. Characteristic features: fruiting bodies massive, darkening while still emerging from the moss, very often maggoty. Grows most often in groups in dry pine forests. Edible, very common.