Bleached Brittlegill

Bleached Brittlegill Russula exalbicans (Pers.) Melzer & Zvára syn. R. pulchella I.G. Borshch. (illustrated 50% life size) Cap 5–9cm across, convex, later flattening or with a depression; centre greenish-white or olive-buff with rose-red or dull wine-coloured margin, or entirely any of these colours; firm, fleshy, slightly sticky when moist; half peeling. Stem 30–50×10–20mm; whitish, soon greyish, sometimes tinged pink. Flesh white; taste moderately hot. Gills adnexed, pale cream. Spores 8–10×6–7µ, elliptical; warts up to 0.7µ high, some isolated, some joined into ridges or by lines to form a fairly poorly developed network. Spore print deep cream (E–F). Cap cystidia cylindrical, spindle-shaped, or narrow club-shaped, occasionally with a septum. Habitat with birch; early summer to autumn. Occasional. Edible but poor. Note photograph (c) by Geoffrey Kibby.