Geranium Brittlegill

Russula fellea (Fr.) Fr. – Inedible

Deciduous and mixed forests, parks. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies medium to large. Cap convex-flattened, later flattened, even slightly depressed, sometimes with an umbo, matt, the cuticle adnate, peeling with difficulty, straw-coloured, yellowish-ochre, with a greyish tinge, the margin faintly pleated, furrowed. Gills pale, later becoming pale yellow, adnate. Stem 3-8x1-2 (3) cm, white, soon becoming yellowish, straw-coloured. Flesh thick (up to 1.3 cm), whitish, yellowish, smelling of rot and herring, bitter-tasting. Characteristic features: cap margin faintly pleated-furrowed. Grows singly or in small groups, only in deciduous (oak, birch, beech) communities and mixed forests. Should not be eaten because of its bitter taste. Rare. Should be classed as protected.