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Greencracked brittlegill or Green brittlegill

How they differ, how to recognize them and which is more dangerous — a mushroom comparison

The short answer

Greencracked brittlegill and Green brittlegill are similar species that can be mixed up while foraging. The main visible difference: use: Greencracked brittlegill — culinary, cook fresh, salting, Green brittlegill — cook fresh, pickling. The mushrooms also differ in the following features: cap color, cap shape, cap surface.

📊 Comparing characteristics

Comparison of characteristics: Greencracked brittlegill and Green brittlegill
Edibility class

Greencracked brittlegill

Edible

Green brittlegill

Edible
Season

Greencracked brittlegill

SummerAutumn

Green brittlegill

SummerAutumn
Use

Greencracked brittlegill

CulinaryCook freshSalting

Green brittlegill

Cook freshPickling
Size

Greencracked brittlegill

Medium (5–15 cm)

Green brittlegill

Medium (5–15 cm)
Cap color

Greencracked brittlegill

GreenOlive

Green brittlegill

Olive
Cap shape

Greencracked brittlegill

ConvexFlatConcave

Green brittlegill

Depressed
Cap surface

Greencracked brittlegill

Dry

Green brittlegill

Smooth
Taste

Greencracked brittlegill

Mild

Green brittlegill

Mild
Smell

Greencracked brittlegill

Pleasant, mushroomy

Green brittlegill

Pleasant
Flesh color change

Greencracked brittlegill

No change

Green brittlegill

Yellowing
Hymenophore

Greencracked brittlegill

Gilled

Green brittlegill

Gilled
Stem

Greencracked brittlegill

CentralSolid

Green brittlegill

Central
Ring (veil)

Greencracked brittlegill

No ring

Green brittlegill

No ring
Volva

Greencracked brittlegill

No volva

Green brittlegill

No volva
Substrate

Greencracked brittlegill

Soil

Green brittlegill

Soil
Nutrition type

Greencracked brittlegill

Mycorrhizal

Green brittlegill

Mycorrhizal
Partner trees

Greencracked brittlegill

OakBirch

Green brittlegill

BirchPine

📅 Seasonality

Greencracked brittlegill

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

June – September

Green brittlegill

Fruiting season

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

July – October

🔬 Morphology

Cap

Greencracked brittlegill

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.

Green brittlegill

Cap 5-10 cm across, when young convex with an inrolled margin, with age becoming flattened with a slightly depressed center. The cap skin is smooth, slimy in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather, peels easily 2/3 of the way to the center. Color: gray-green, grass-green, olive-green, deeper toward dark green at the center, paler toward the margin and fading to grayish. In mature specimens the margin has fine radial grooves.

Hymenophore

Greencracked brittlegill

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.

Green brittlegill

Gilled hymenophore — the gills are attached or free from the stem, moderately crowded, thin, brittle. Color: white at first, cream with a pale ochre tinge with age. Spore print creamy white to pale ochre.

Stem

Greencracked brittlegill

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.

Green brittlegill

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, firm, cylindrical, hollow inside in old specimens. Color: white to creamy white, without noticeable spots. Surface smooth with fine lengthwise wrinkles. No ring, no volva — a key distinguishing feature from the death cap.

Flesh

Greencracked brittlegill

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.

Green brittlegill

Flesh firm, brittle, white, when cut does not change color or slowly turns yellow. Smell faint, pleasant, fruity-mushroomy, taste mild, with no bitterness or acridity (tongue test).

Smell

Greencracked 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.

Green brittlegill

Faint, pleasant, fruity-mushroomy, nothing sharp.

📍 Habitats

Greencracked brittlegill

Deciduous forestMixed forest

Green brittlegill

Deciduous forestMixed forest

👀 Similar mushrooms — don't mix them up!

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can Greencracked brittlegill and Green brittlegill be mixed up?
Yes, they look so similar that people often mix them up. The use, cap color, cap shape help tell them apart.
How to tell Greencracked brittlegill from Green brittlegill?
The main differences: use: Greencracked brittlegill — culinary, cook fresh, salting, Green brittlegill — cook fresh, pickling; cap color: Greencracked brittlegill — green, olive, Green brittlegill — olive; cap shape: Greencracked brittlegill — convex, flat, concave, Green brittlegill — depressed. The full table of characteristics is higher up on this page.
Is Green brittlegill edible?
Green brittlegill — edible.
When do Greencracked brittlegill and Green brittlegill grow?
Greencracked brittlegill — June–September; Green brittlegill — July–October.

Sources

  • [1]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
  • [2]GBIF
  • [3]Вікіпедія (українська)
  • [4]MycoBank Database
  • [5]Index Fungorum
  • [6]iNaturalist Ukraine