Fruity Brittlegill

Russula queletii

Also known as Gooseberry Russula.

Andreas Kunze / CC BY-SA 3.0

About this fungus

Fruity Brittlegill is a fungus in the Russulaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.

A wine-red to purple brittlegill of spruce woods, usually with a pink or purple-flushed stem and a fruity smell often compared with gooseberries.

What to check

Look for a dark purple-red cap, brittle white to cream gills, a cream spore print and a stem flushed pink-red or purple. Smell a fresh intact mushroom for the fruity odour.

Lookalikes

Russula sardonia often has yellowish gills and is more strongly linked with pine. Russula torulosa and other purple-red conifer Russulas overlap, and regional identification may require microscopy.

Habitat and range

Mycorrhizal mainly with spruce on woodland soil, although regional accounts include other conifers. European and North American concepts may not be identical.

Food safety

Inedible.

Photographs

Species to compare

Similar mushrooms to compare against:

A glimpse of the research.

Weather response

A repeatable weather association was found in the records, alongside the usual seasonal pattern.

Higher or lower ground?

Records tended to come from higher ground relative to other fungal records in the study.

These are patterns in recorded observations, not rules, forecasts or identification evidence. Local conditions and recording patterns can affect the findings.

Read six species examples →