A brittlegill with a pale green cap broken into darker green patches, white gills and a white stem. It is ectomycorrhizal with oak, beech and other broadleaf trees and is regarded as one of the best edibles in its genus, although true R. virescens may be strictly European.
Edible and highly regarded, but caution is essential because of the deadly death cap (Amanita phalloides). The death cap has a ring and a sac-like volva at the stem base; dig up the whole base to check and never rely on cap colour alone. In North America, similar green cracked russulas (R. parvovirescens, R. crustosa) are a separate identification problem.
Help build this page
This page grows with the community. Here is what it is still missing:
Photos. None yet — moderators review each photo before it appears.Sign in to add a photo
Sightings. Spotted it in the wild? Add it to the map.Open the map
Strains. No public strains of this species on WeMush yet.
Track Your Own Green-cracked Brittlegill, Quilted Green Russula Grows
Join WeMush to log cultivation data, discover strains, and connect with fellow growers.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
Habitat
On soil, singly or scattered, in deciduous and mixed forests; mycorrhizal with oak, European beech and aspen, and with Dipterocarpaceae in Asia. In Europe it fruits mainly in summer to early autumn.
Distribution
Eurasia and North Africa, possibly Central America. North American records are debated: R. parvovirescens and R. crustosa are recognized there, one author treats R. virescens as strictly European, and the green cracked-cap group in the eastern US is more complex than once thought (Buyck et al. 2006).
Characteristics
Cap: Up to 15 cm across, dome- or barrel-shaped becoming convex and flattened, often with a depressed centre; pale green with darker green, grey-green or verdigris patches over a whitish background; surface areolate (cracked into patches); cuticle peels about halfway. Gills: White to cream, fairly crowded, mostly free, joined by veins near their bases. Stem: Up to 8 cm tall and 4 cm thick, white, cylindrical, sometimes powdery at the top, browning slightly with age or bruising; no ring. Taste: Mild, nutty or sweet. Spore print: White to pale yellow. Spores: 6–9 × 5–7 µm, ellipsoid, warted.
