Species details
Green-cracking russula
Russula virescens
Extra caution required
Photo: Björn S... · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · License
.jpg){kind=link}
Description
A green to grey-green russula with a characteristically cracked mosaic cap skin.
Identification features
Gills and stem are white to cream; the flesh is firm and mild.
Identification checklist
Check the entire fruitbody for identification. A green to grey-green russula with a characteristically cracked mosaic cap skin. Gills and stem are white to cream; the flesh is firm and mild. Typical habitat: Warm deciduous woodland, mainly under oak and beech.
Detailed features
- Cap
- 5–15 cm, green to blue-green, later flattened and depressed; surface characteristically cracks into small patches.
- Hymenophore
- Gills white, fairly crowded, brittle, and sometimes forked.
- Stem
- 2–9 × 1.5–3 cm, white, solid and firm; older specimens may develop brown spots.
- Flesh
- White, firm and brittle, usually pleasantly scented and mild.
- Smell
- Pleasant, indistinct.
- Spore print
- White.
Size
- Cap diameter
- 5–15 cm
- Stem height
- 2–9 cm
- Stem diameter
- 1,5–3 cm
Habitat
Warm deciduous woodland, mainly under oak and beech.
Fruiting period
June, July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Trophic mode
- Mycorrhizal
- Substrate
- Forest soil
- Notes
- A mycorrhizal species of mixed woodland, occurring with deciduous and coniferous trees.
How to separate similar species
Compare especially with these similar species: Russula cyanoxantha, Russula heterophylla, Amanita phalloides. Check the combination of cap shape and colour, spore-bearing surface, stem, flesh changes and habitat. A single feature or photograph is not enough; if the key characters do not match the description, do not treat the identification as confirmed.
Similar species
- Charcoal burner (Russula cyanoxantha)
The cap is usually smooth without the characteristic mosaic cracking; the gills are more flexible.
- Death cap (Amanita phalloides) DANGEROUS
The deadly death cap has a ring and a sac-like volva at the base; russulas lack these structures.