Russula sardonia Fr.
(Primrose Brittlegill)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesRussula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)
GenusRussula (brittlegill toadstools, russulas)
FamilyRUSSULACEAE (milkcaps and russulas)
OrderRUSSULALES (an order of toadstools)
SubclassAGARICOMYCETIDAE (a subclass of basidiomycetes)
ClassAGARICOMYCETES (a class of fungi)
SubphylumAGARICOMYCOTINA (a subphylum of fungi)
PhylumBASIDIOMYCOTA (spore droppers, basidiomycetes)
KingdomFUNGI (true fungi)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill) :
1: Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)
7 Oct 2015 OSGR: SZ19 50° 50’ N, 1° 50’ W Vice County: South Hants (VC 11) England
under Scot’s Pine
Image 1: Cap - white backgroundImage 2: Cap - white background (2)Image 3: Collection - natural backgroundImage 4: Collection - natural background (2)Image 5: Fruitbodies - side viewImage 6: Fruitbodies - top viewImage 7: Fruitbodies - top view (2)Image 8: Fruitbodies - underside showing gills - natural backgroundImage 9: Fruitbody - LS - natural backgroundImage 10: Fruitbody - old - side viewImage 11: Fruitbody - side view - natural backgroundImage 12: Fruitbody - top viewImage 13: Gills - natural backgroundImage 14: Gills - white backgroundImage 15: Gills - white background (2)Image 16: Gills - white background (3)Image 17: Stipe - iron test - natural backgroundImage 18: Gills - close-up - enlarged - white backgroundImage 19: Gills - close-up - enlarged - white background (2)Image 20: Gills - close-up - enlarged - white background (3)Image 21: Gills - close-up - enlarged - white background (4)Image 22: Gills with strong ammonia - close-up - enlarged - white backgroundImage 23: Gills with strong ammonia - close-up - enlarged - white background (2)Image 24: Spore print - enlargedImage 25: Spore print with iodine - enlargedImage 26: Dermatocystidia - magnifiedImage 27: Dermatocystidia - magnified (2)Image 28: Dermatocystidia - magnified (3)Image 29: Dermatocystidia - highly magnifiedImage 30: Dermatocystidia - highly magnified (2)Image 31: Dermatocystidia - highly magnified (3)Image 32: Spores - magnifiedImage 33: Spores - magnified (2)Image 34: Spores - highly magnified
2: Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill) IDENTIFICATION UNCERTAIN
1 Oct 1979 OSGR: SU83 51° 10’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Surrey (VC 17) England
Image 1: Fruitbody - side viewImage 2: Fruitbody - side view - lain downImage 3: Fruitbody - top view
3: Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)
23 Sep 1978 OSGR: SU83 51° 10’ N, 0° 40’ W Vice County: Surrey (VC 17) England
Image 1: Dermatocystidia - magnified
4: Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)
23 Oct 1977 OSGR: SU94 51° 10’ N, 0° 40’ W Vice County: Surrey (VC 17) England
in pine wood
Image 1: Fruitbody - side viewImage 2: Fruitbody - side view showing gills - lain downImage 3: Fruitbody - side view showing gills - lain down (2)Image 4: Fruitbody - top viewImage 5: Stipe - close-up

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
Aron, C.E. 2001 Russula torulosa and other interesting fungi in Newborough Warren Field Mycology Vol 2 (3): 100-104, rear cover.
Hopkins, S. 2000 Russula sardonia var mellina Vol 1 (1) Page: 11

Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 4 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Russula sardonia (Primrose Brittlegill)

One of the common four brittlegill toadstools found under Pine (Pinus). The mycelium forms an ectomycorrhiza with the roots. The cap is bright purple, as is the stipe.

Creative Commons License
This website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material on the BioImages website by Malcolm Storey is licensed under the above Creative Commons Licence.

Photographs from other photographers are used with permission but not included under the above CC licence.

BioImages - Virtual Field-Guide (UK)