Russula integra or Purple brittlegill

Cap 6-15 cm across, when young hemispherical, with age becoming flat and spread out with a slightly depressed center. The skin is smooth, slimy in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather, peels easily over 2/3 of the cap toward the center. Color: dark purple, chestnut-purple, wine-red, with a darker center and lighter margin. In mature specimens the margin has fine radial grooves resembling coarse ribbing.

Cap 4-9 cm across; when young it is convex with an inrolled margin, becoming with age flat and spread out with a slightly sunken center. The cap skin is smooth, slimy in wet weather, peels back over 1/2 of the cap. The color is dark purple, wine-violet, with a distinctive blackish center (atropurpurea), paler pinkish-violet toward the edge. Old ones fade to a dingy purple. The margin of mature ones has fine radial grooves.

Gilled hymenophore — the gills are attached or free from the stem, moderately spaced, fleshy, brittle. Color when young: whitish, with age turning ochre-cream to yellowish from the ripe yellow-ochre spores. Spore print yellow-ochre — a diagnostic feature (distinguishes it from the rusty brown of webcaps).

Gilled hymenophore: the gills are attached or free from the stem, moderately crowded, thin, brittle. The color is white at first, cream with a pale ocher tinge with age. The spore print is creamy white to pale ocher.

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 1.5-3 cm thick, firm, fleshy, cylindrical, hollow inside in old specimens. Color: white to creamy white, with a faint yellowish tint when old, browning toward the base. Surface smooth with fine lengthwise wrinkles. No ring.

Stem 3-7 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, firm, cylindrical, hollow in old ones. The color is white to cream, often with gray or gray-purple patches in the lower part. The surface is smooth with fine lengthwise wrinkles. No ring.

Flesh firm, brittle, white; where cut, it slowly turns yellow (a reaction typical of the genus Russula). Smell pleasantly mushroomy, with a fruity note in mature specimens, taste mild, sweetish and nutty, with no bitterness or acridity — a diagnostic feature.

Flesh firm, brittle, white; when damaged it slowly turns slightly gray. The smell is faint, pleasant, fruity-mushroomy, the taste mild in young ones; in mature ones slightly acrid-bitterish in the gills and stem (tongue test).

Pleasantly fruity-mushroomy, with no sharp notes.

Faint, pleasant, fruity-mushroomy, neutral.