About this fungus
Green Brittlegill is a fungus in the Russulaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A grass-green to grey-green brittlegill under trees, with a slightly tacky cap when damp, a white stem and pale brittle gills.
What to check
Confirm brittle flesh and gills that snap rather than bend, no ring or volva, a cream to pale-yellow spore print and birch or another compatible host nearby. The cap is usually evenly green and lacks the strongly cracked mosaic of some other green Russula.
Variation
Caps range from grass-green through bluish or yellow-green to grey-green and may fade cream or buff at the margin. Rusty spots can develop with age.
Lookalikes
Several green Russula overlap closely. Russula virescens develops a conspicuously cracked mosaic cap, but other species may require spore ornament, chemical reactions and host information. Green cap colour alone cannot provide a safe species identification.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal especially with birch, in broadleaved, mixed and some coniferous woodland across northern temperate regions.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
Eric Smith / CC BY-SA 3.0
James Lindsey / CC BY-SA 3.0