Copper brittlegill or Greencracked brittlegill

Cap up to 15 cm, hemispherical in young mushrooms, plano-convex in mature ones or with a slight depression in the center. Color reddish-orange, brick-red, fading with age to ocher-yellowish or gray-brick. The surface is sticky in wet weather and dry and matte in dry weather. The skin partly peels off.

Cap 5–15 cm across, spherical in young mushrooms, then flat or slightly depressed. The surface is matte, dry, cracked into small polygonal patches — a characteristic “mosaic” pattern. Color green, grayish green, sometimes with yellowish or grayish zones. The margin is blunt.

Gills attached to the stem. White when young, cream with age, yellowish in mature mushrooms. When pressed and in damaged spots they turn slightly gray. Spore print pale ocher.

Gills crowded, even, brittle, white. They don't change color when damaged. Spore print white. The gills snap easily under your finger — the brittleness typical of the genus Russula.

Stem up to 12 cm tall, 1.5–3 cm thick, cylindrical, with no ring and no volva. White in young mushrooms, becoming gray or gray-brown with age, especially in the lower part. The surface is smooth, sometimes finely ribbed.

Stem 4–10 cm tall, 1.5–3 cm thick, firm, evenly cylindrical or slightly narrowing toward the base. The surface is white, smooth or slightly wrinkled. No ring and no volva — an important safety feature.

Flesh white, springy in young mushrooms and cottony in old ones. A characteristic trait: when cut or damaged it gradually turns gray, sometimes all the way to black. This isn't a sign of toxicity but a diagnostic trait of the species. A dried mushroom has gray-brown flesh.

Flesh firm, white, crunchy, crumbles easily — the so-called “brittlegill” brittleness. It doesn't change color when damaged and releases no milk. The taste is mild and nutty, without bitterness — one of the few brittlegills that can be eaten raw without danger.

Smell faint, mushroomy, with no distinct notes. Taste mild, bland — an important sign, but only for a mushroom already confidently identified as a brittlegill.

Smell unobtrusive, pleasant, faintly nutty. It lacks the sharp or unpleasant notes typical of some poisonous brittlegills. When cooked, the aroma grows stronger, taking on warm woodland notes.