# Charcoal Burner (*Russula cyanoxantha*) The charcoal-burner (Russula cyanoxantha) is a woodland mushroom associated with living trees. European descriptions note a cap with variable purple, green or brown tones and pale, supple gills. - **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Woodlands - **Also known as:** Charcoal Mushroom ![Charcoal Burner](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426672/objects/5155.jpg) ## Appearance The Charcoal Burner has a cap that varies greatly in color, from purplish-gray to olive-green or even brown, often with wavy or splitting edges. Its gills are creamy white, flexible, and do not break easily, distinguishing it from many other brittle Russula mushrooms. The stalk is firm and white, sometimes with a grayish tint. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Fungi - **Phylum:** Basidiomycota - **Class:** Agaricomycetes - **Order:** Russulales - **Family:** Russulaceae - **Genus:** Russula ## Interesting facts - Despite its name, the Charcoal Burner has a very mild and pleasant taste, not smoky at all! - It often grows close to oak and beech trees, connected by a hidden underground network. - Its scientific name 'cyanoxantha' means blue and yellow, even though it's rarely those colors! - This mushroom's flesh doesn't change color when you cut it, a handy identification clue! ## Special abilities - **Color Shifter:** Charcoal Burner can display many cap colors, from purplish to greenish-grey, making it hard to spot! - **Flexible Gills:** Charcoal Burner has pliable gills that bend instead of breaking, unlike many of its brittle relatives. - **Nutrient Exchange:** Charcoal Burner can share vital nutrients with tree roots, helping both partners thrive in the forest. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 4-10 cm - **Edible:** edible - **Size:** 5-15 cm - **Growth Substrate:** soil - **Season:** Summer to fall - **Spore Color:** White ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** Pedunculate Oak (*Quercus robur*) — forms a vital underground partnership with its roots - **Symbiotic with:** [European Beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-beech) (*Fagus sylvatica*) — trades sugars for essential minerals and water - **Eats:** Spanish Slug (*Arion vulgaris*) — a common forest floor inhabitant that enjoys fungi - **Eats:** Grey Squirrel (*Sciurus carolinensis*) — forages for various fungi as part of its varied diet ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the charcoal-burner mushroom? 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. ### What does the charcoal-burner mushroom look like? 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. ### What is distinctive about charcoal-burner gills? 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. ### How large can a charcoal-burner mushroom be? Ireland’s COFORD guide describes caps 5–15 cm across, with stems 5–10 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide. ### What colour is a charcoal-burner spore print? 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. ### Where does the charcoal-burner mushroom grow? 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. ### How does the charcoal-burner fungus interact with trees? 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. ### When does the charcoal-burner mushroom appear? 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. ### Why can charcoal-burner mushrooms be difficult to identify? 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. ### Is the charcoal-burner mushroom edible? 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. ### What should someone do after eating a suspected poisonous charcoal-burner look-alike? 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. ## Where to spot - [Algonquin Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/algonquin-provincial-park) — Ontario, CA · State Park ## More Fungi - [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*) - [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*) --- Source: [Charcoal Burner: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/charcoal-burner)