[1] The cap is brown to gray and somewhat shiny, with a mild taste and, reportedly, an odor of empty wine barrels.

This is a large member of the genus Russula, and it has a cap that is dirty white when young, but swiftly turns brown, and then black on aging.

The flesh, which has a fruity smell, when cut turns pale Indian red, and then grey, and black within 20 minutes.

[4][3] Russula adusta appears in late summer and autumn in both deciduous and coniferous woodland, under conifer trees,[1][5] across Britain, northern Europe, and North America.

[6] In North America, it appears in the Pacific Northwest and northern California from October to February.