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charcoal burner (Russula cyanoxantha)
Russula cyanoxantha has a violet to greenish mixed cap and bendable, non-shattering gills. It is mild and a good edible mushroom in beech and oak forests.
Scientific name: Russula cyanoxantha
Features
The cap is 5 to 15 cm wide, mixed violet, blue gray, olive or green, often radially veined. The gills are white, fairly dense and feel blandly bendable; they do not splinter when brushed over. The stem is white, firm, sometimes violet overflowing, without ring and without volva; the base is not bulbous. It smells inconspicuous and tastes mild. A taste sample is common in Russula species, but only if a deadly Amanita species is safely excluded: chew and spit out a small piece. The flesh is white, firm and does not discolour; with iron sulfate, it almost does not react. White
Habitat
European beech and oak, also fir.. Wide spectrum, often medium soils in beech forests.. From the lowlands to the mountains.
Season
June to November Until early November.
Weather and fruiting
Mild with flexible gills; after rain under beech a classic. Avoid peppery russulas.
Lookalike risk
Death cap: It has a ring, a skinned, sac-like volva on a bulbous base and an ingrown fibrous cap. Green-cracking russula: Its green cap skin tears open wide and has no violet tones. Russula ionochlora: It has brittle splintering gills and no pure white spore print.
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FAQ
What does the map show?
Weather-based foraging chances, not a guarantee that fruit bodies stand at the pin.
Can I eat this mushroom?
No page replaces identification. If unsure, leave it or ask an expert.
Charcoal burner: is it edible?
Yes, it is an edible mushroom. Green forms must be safely distinguished from Amanita phalloides: Russula species never have ring or volva.
Charcoal burner: when and where does it grow?
In central Europe the season runs June to November. Until early November. Habitat: European beech and oak, also fir.
Charcoal burner: what are the lookalikes?
The most important distinction is from Death cap (Amanita phalloides, deadly poisonous): It has a ring, a skinned, sac-like volva on a bulbous base and an ingrown fibrous cap. Other lookalikes: Green-cracking russula, Russula ionochlora.
When is a trip worth it?
Mild with flexible gills; after rain under beech a classic. Avoid peppery russulas.