''Russula amethystina'' is a conspicuous mushroom, which appears sporadically from mid-summer until the autumn under

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

and

fir Firs (''Abies'') are a genus of 48–56 species of evergreen coniferous trees in the family (biology), family Pinaceae. They are found on mountains throughout much of North America, North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The ...

trees. In

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, it is very rare. It is not easy to distinguish from similarly coloured ''

Russula ''Russula'' is a very large genus composed of around 750 worldwide species of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms. They are typically common, fairly large, and brightly colored – making them one of the most recognizable genera among mycologists and mushr ...

'' species, and practically identical to '' Russula turci''.

Description

The cap ranges from 3 to 12 cm in diameter and varies in colour between violet, lilac, wine-red and wine-red-brown. The cap skin can be pulled off from the edge, right to the centre. The gills are from cream to bright yellow. The spores are yellow, subglobose, with small warts. The spore print is cream to light orange in color. The hollow stipe ranges from 3 to 6 cm in length and 1 to 2 cm in width; it is initially white, later becoming yellowish or brownish. Similar species include '' Russula turci'', which may smell like iodine near the base of the stalk; otherwise it can only be distinguished by microscopic differences in

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

texture. ''R. lilacea'' and ''R. murrillii'' are also similar.

Description

See also

References

Further reading