Russula subfoetans Least Stinking Brittlegill

A species usually associated with Beech (Fagus sylvatica) with an ochre-brown or orange-brown cap which is often very slimy, particularly in wet weather. It is similar to Stinking Brittlegill (Russula foetans) and difficult to separate from it in the field, but it is usually smaller, more slimy and with a less strong rancid smell. It can be reliably separated from it by the golden yellow colour change in the white flesh of the stipe after treatment with 3% KOH. Geoffrey Kibby states that Stinking Brittlegill is a northern species that is largely replaced by Least Stinking Brittlegill in the south. It appears to be scarce in West Glamorgan where there are few records of it.