Humpback Brittlegill Russula caerulea (Pers.) Fr. (illustrated 50% life size) Cap 3โ8cm across, almost conical at first, later with a pointed to broad umbo (rarely absent), margin finally furrowed; livid violet, dark livid, dark wine-coloured or chestnut; hardly sticky when wet, fairly fleshy; one-quarter to two-thirds peeling. Stem 40โ90ร10โ20mm, narrow, club-shaped; white; firm. Flesh white; taste mild but cap skin bitter. Gills adnexed to almost free, somewhat closely spaced at first; pale ochre. Spores 8โ10ร7โ9ยต, ovate; warts or spines up to 1โ1.2ยต high, some isolated, others joined in chains or by a few fine lines to form at most a rather scanty network with 0โ2 meshes. Spore print palish ochre (G). Cap surface without cystidia; scattered hyphae with sparse encrustations staining in fuchsin. Habitat with pine; summer to autumn. Frequent where pines occur. Edible.
