Charcoal Burner

The common name charcoal burner usually refers to Russula cyanoxantha, a woodland brittlegill described in European accounts. Russula is the wider genus, which contains many other mushroom species.

Its cap can mix purple, violet, grey, olive-green and brown tones; some specimens are predominantly green or even yellow. The cap starts convex and becomes flatter, often with a shallow central depression. The stem and flesh are white, sometimes with a lilac flush on the stem.

The pale gills are unusually supple and can feel greasy, especially when young. They bend more readily than the brittle gills of many other Russula species. This is one useful feature among several needed for identification.

Ireland’s COFORD guide describes caps 5–15 cm across, with stems 5–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide.

Russula cyanoxantha produces a white spore print. A print is the visible deposit of many microscopic spores; the gills are also white to cream in the species descriptions.

It grows on woodland soil in association with living trees. European records include broad-leaved and coniferous forests; museum specimens from Trentino in northeastern Italy were collected in mixed spruce and beech woodland.

It forms mycorrhizal partnerships with tree roots. The fungus receives sugars from the tree and helps it obtain mineral nutrients and water from the soil. Oaks and beeches are among the trees associated with European records.

The season depends on region and weather. Ireland’s COFORD guide records it in autumn. Other European accounts describe a broader summer-to-autumn fruiting season.

Other Russula species can have similar purple, brown or green caps. Identification combines the gills, cap, stem, spores and sometimes microscopic details. North American mushrooms called Russula cyanoxantha may include several species and may differ from the European species.

Russula cyanoxantha is described as edible in European mycological accounts. That does not establish the safety of an unidentified mushroom or every Russula species. Do not taste a wild mushroom to identify it or rely on cap colour, flexible gills or a photograph as proof that it is safe to eat.

Contact a poison information service or seek medical help promptly, without waiting for symptoms. A photograph or retained sample may help identify the mushroom. In an emergency, call the local emergency number.