Identification
Brick-red caps in dense clusters on wood; gills graying to olive-brown; flesh bitter.
Edibility — disputed
Russian tradition salts/cooks it; western guides list it as poisonous, and poisoning case reports exist. Treat as not recommended — the species sits too close to the poisonous sulphur-tuft group.
In practice
- Brick cap + bitter flesh + wood cluster = skip it; there are safer cluster mushrooms.