Pirate brittlegillRussula turci

Yes, European guides list Russula turci as edible. It is protected in Ukraine, where it is rare and listed in the national Red Data Book, so there, please leave it where it grows. Bear in mind that the same conifer woods hold several acrid purple russulas, so a purple cap alone never identifies this species.

Some are and some aren't, so it depends on the species. The pirate brittlegill, the charcoal burner and the purple brittlegill are edible, while the primrose brittlegill (Russula sardonia) and the fruity brittlegill (Russula queletii) are very acrid and regarded as suspect because they can upset the stomach. Identify the species from several features together: gill and spore print colour, the stem and the smell.

The pirate brittlegill, Russula turci: the base of its stem smells of iodoform, the old hospital antiseptic. It's the species' key feature, but the smell is confined to the stem base and can be faint, so check several specimens. Russula amethystina, which is practically identical, smells the same. The crab brittlegill smells quite different, of cooked crab, and from the whole mushroom.

Look at the gills and stem. Russula turci has gills that turn a rich ochre and a pure white stem. The primrose brittlegill (Russula sardonia) has lemon to primrose yellow gills and a stem flushed lilac or wine red. Both grow in pine woods and both have dark purple caps, so the cap won't separate them. The primrose brittlegill is very hot tasting and can upset the stomach.

The purple brittlegill (Russula atropurpurea) has an almost black cap centre, pale cream gills and a white spore print, and it grows with oak as well as pine. The pirate brittlegill's cap centre fades to pinkish or yellowish instead, its gills turn ochre, its spore print is pale yellow to ochre, and the base of its pure white stem smells of iodoform.

In the field they are practically the same mushroom: only the spore ornament under a microscope separates them. Russula amethystina grows mostly under silver fir in mountain forests, while Russula turci prefers pine. Some authorities treat them as separate species, DNA suggests they are less closely related than they look, and the Red Data Book of Ukraine lumps them together.

Under conifers, above all Scots pine, but also spruce and fir, usually on acidic sandy soil. It grows singly or in groups and can be plentiful where it occurs: in the pine forests of northern Germany it is one of the commonest mushrooms. It is widespread in Europe, Britain included, but rare in Ukraine, where it is confined to the Carpathians and the west.

From summer to late autumn, with most finds in late summer and early autumn. It tails off as the weather turns cold, though a few still turn up at the start of winter.