metallic fungus for id

[Rambling Rob]

Hello,

Any chance of identifying this fungus found growing in the woods at Hamstead, IoW?

I was attracted by the metallic sheen of the cap.

Thanks for looking,
Rob

[KeenTeen17]

Looks like a Russula sp. They are really hard to ID without microscopy but I think R. atropurpurea is the commonest.

[Rambling Rob]

Thank you KT - R. atropurpurea looks good.
It did appear to be fairly common there,
Rob

edit: Just noticed it's gpt a common English name too, the Purple Brittlegill. Nice.

[ManwithNoname]

Unfortunately, as KT rightly pointed out, Russulas are hard to identify... and colour isn't a very reliable character on its own.

Russula atropurpurea is purple, but so are a lot of other species, and this isn't Russula atropurpurea because that species has white gills and doesn't characteristically have the umbo in the centre of the cap. The glossy texture of the cap cuticle is also not right.

Knowing which trees a specimen was growing with can be a helpful clue. I assume those are fallen pine needles in the photos, in which case Russula caerulea is a strong candidate. This is one of the commoner species to be found growing with pines. It does characteristically have a glossy cap with an umbo in the centre, and the gills turn deep ochre as the spores ripen.

[Rambling Rob]

Thanks ManwithNoname - yes, this is coniferous woodland, and having just looked up some more photos of R. caerulea on the Web I reckon that looks good, the Humpback Brittlegill

Rob