A widespread species, it is found in Asia, Europe, and North America, where it fruits on the ground in mixed and deciduous forests.

The mushrooms are characterized by the red and then black color changes that occur in the flesh when it is bruised, and a relatively thick cap cuticle.

Although the mushroom is sold as an edible species in some areas of Asia, it is mild to moderately toxic, and may cause gastrointestinal upset if consumed.

[1] The nomenclatural database Index Fungorum lumps these forms, as well as f. subrubescen, published by Patrick Reumaux in 1996, together into synonymy.

It is solid (i.e., not hollow) and hard, initially white before aging to brownish-black, and has a smooth to slightly scaly, dry surface.

[12] David Arora has noted that much of the bitter taste can be removed with cooking, but "the end product is insipid at best and indigestible or even poisonous at worst.

[14] Another similarly colored Russula is R. nigricans, which can be distinguished from R. densifolia by its darker cap and widely spaced gills.

Descriptions have been published of the morphology of the ectomycorrhizae that it forms with European beech (Fagus sylvatica),[18][19] and Norway spruce (Picea abies).

[20] Its mushrooms grow on the ground singly, scattered, or in groups in both mixed and deciduous forests,[6] and tend to appear in the summer and autumn.

[22] Widely distributed, Russula densifolia is known from Asia (including China, India,[23] Japan,[24] and Thailand[13]), Europe[15] and North America.

[7] In a study of the chronological sequence of ectomycorrhizal fungi communities of Pinus densiflora forests of eastern China, R. densifolia was shown to reach its peak abundance in 30-year-old stands.

[27] Aqueous extracts of the fruit bodies contain polysaccharides that have been shown in laboratory tests to be highly efficient at inhibiting infection by tobacco mosaic virus.