General information 

• etymology: from the Latin russulus, meaning "reddish" 
• of the Asteroporales order 
• grows from June to late October in forests 
• a basidiomycete mushroom with white gills and a depressed cap that sinks in the center 
• the edible variety, called the "charcoal burner mushroom", is grayish or purply-blue with a firm white uniformly thick stem, differentiated from the emetic russula which is indigestible and which has an orange cap and a stem that is more cream-colored
• white brittle flesh with a slightly nutty taste.