The Sickener
Poisonous 
Autumn 
Summer 
Poisonous but will only make you vomit. Common. The Russula family split from other mushrooms, evolutionarily, many years ago and have round cells instead of most other mushrooms which have elongated cells, this gives Russulas the common name Brittlegills as the cells make the mushroom brittle.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | The Sickener (EN), Emetic Russula, Tegyll Brau Cyfoglyd (CY), Gołąbek Wymiotny (PL), Hánytató Galambgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Russula emetica |
| Season Start | Jul |
| Season End | Oct |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 10 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 10 |
Cap
Convex to flattening, sometimes slightly depressed in the middle. Strong red colour. Can be sticky when wet.
Gills
Cream to pale yellow, mainly free from stem or adnexed. Very brittle to the touch.
Stem
White, can broaden towards the base.
Flesh
White.
Habitat
Pine woodland.
Possible Confusion
The Beechwood Sickener (Russula nobilis) looks almost identical but as both are poisonous this shouldn’t be a harmful mistake.
Spore Print
Off-white. Ellipsoid, reticulated with warts.
Taste / Smell
Very hot.
Frequency
Common.
Other Facts
The Russula family split from other mushrooms, evolutionarily, many years ago and have round cells instead of most other living organisms which have elongated cells, this gives Russulas the common name Brittlegills as the cells make the mushroom brittle.
1 comment for The Sickener
Bang on the money…helped me identify this mushroom today with yours and your books help west midlands waste land wv14 come up in thire hundreds
with beech and birch