A firm mushroom with a reddish-brown to tan cap, white gills, a strongly mealy odor and an intensely bitter taste. It decomposes conifer litter and often forms fairy rings. The bitterness comes from the triterpene cucurbitacin B.
Inedible because of its intense bitterness, caused by the triterpene cucurbitacin B. It is not known to be dangerous. Similar species include Leucopaxillus tricolor and Russula compacta.
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Habitat
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Saprobic on conifer needle litter in coniferous and mixed woods. Scattered, in groups or in fairy rings, summer and fall; winter in warmer areas.
Distribution
Common in western North America from the Rocky Mountains westward and into Mexico, with some reports from the East Coast. Also reported from Central America, Europe and Australia.
Characteristics
Cap: 3-15 cm, convex to flat, dry, bald and leathery, reddish to orange-brown when young, fading to tan; the margin may split. Gills: attached to decurrent, close to crowded, white. Stem: 3-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, white, discoloring brownish, with prominent white basal mycelium. Flesh: white, unchanging. Odor: strongly mealy. Taste: bitter. Spore print: white. Spores: 4-6 x 3-4 um, broadly ellipsoid to nearly round, finely spiny, amyloid.
