Yellow Swamp Brittlegill

Habitat

This mushroom typically grows in wet or boggy environments, frequently associated with birch trees. It is often found among Sphagnum moss or on damp soil within deciduous and mixed forests. It also inhabits coniferous woodlands and may grow in clusters or scattered groups on the ground.

Photos

Appearance

Cap

4 to 10 cm wide, ranging from hemispherical to flat with a slightly depressed center. The surface is clear golden-yellow, shiny, and slightly sticky when moist. The skin peels away halfway to two-thirds towards the center, and the edge transitions from smooth to slightly grooved with age. The surface bruises gray-black.

Stem

4 to 10 cm long, though potentially up to 20 cm in deep moss. It is stout, white to pale yellow, and typically tapers slightly toward the top. It turns dark gray or sooty-black when handled, bruised, or with age.

Gills

Fairly crowded and adnexed to almost free from the stem. Color starts as cream or pale yellow and matures to ochre, staining dark gray or sooty-black when damaged.

Flesh

White, hard, and brittle. It discolors to gray or blackish when cut or bruised.

Spore print

Yellow-cream to pale ochre.

Edibility

This species has a mild, fruity flavor and brittle flesh. It is characterized by its white flesh, gills, and stem that bruise and age to a distinct sooty-gray or gray-black color. While it is similar to other yellow brittlegills like the edible Russula risigallina, it can be distinguished by its brighter color and specific habitat.

Nutrient Source

It forms a symbiotic relationship with tree roots, exchanging nutrients and minerals from the soil for sugars produced by the tree.

Common Names

Danish

Birke-skørhat

Dutch

gele berkerussula, Gele berkenrussula

English

The Yellow Swamp Brittlegill, Yellow Swamp Brittlegill, Yellow Swamp Russula

Finnish

keltahapero

French

Russule jaune noircissante

German

Gelber Graustieltäubling

Norwegian Bokmål

mild gulkremle

Norwegian Nynorsk

mild gulkremle

Spanish

rúsula amarilla

Swedish

gul björkkremla, mild gulkremla, Gulkremla

Welsh

Tegyll Brau Melyn y Gors

Synonyms

• Russula constans
• Russula constans
• Russula constans
• Russula flava
• Russula flava