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Variable Russula
A mid-sized eastern North American Russula with a green, olive or purplish-pink, often mottled cap and white gills that fork repeatedly and feel soft and greasy rather than brittle when young. It closely resembles R. cyanoxantha but forks more often and usually tastes slowly acrid. Some mycologists treat it as a variety of R. cyanoxantha.
Not edible. Many collections taste slowly acrid, and acrid Russulas are treated as gastrointestinal irritants; MushroomExpert gives no edibility data. The mild-tasting R. cyanoxantha is the closest look-alike; R. variata differs in its more frequently forked gills and usually acrid taste.
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