About Russula sardonia Fr.
The cap of Russula sardonia Fr. grows to around 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. It is most often purplish-red, though brownish and greenish color forms have been recorded. The cap is usually darker toward its center; it is convex when young, and becomes depressed in the center as it ages. The stem grows 3–8 cm tall and 1–1.5 cm in diameter. It is occasionally white, but more often flushed with pale purple-red, and has a grape-like, easily removed bloom. The gills are adnexed to slightly decurrent, pale primrose yellow that darkens with age. They are narrow, and exude water droplets when young. They also turn slowly pink when ammonia is applied to them, a chemical reaction that identifies this mushroom to the species level, and is considered a required test for identifying rarer color forms. The spore print is cream. The flesh is firm, and has a very hot taste, which makes this mushroom inedible. Russula sardonia fruits in late summer and autumn. It grows in association with pine trees (Pinus) in coniferous woodland, on sandy soils. It is a common mushroom, found across Britain and Northern Europe, and does not occur in North America.
