Russula aeruginea
- Photos
- Videos
- Description
- Habitat
- Edibility
- Similar Species
- Preserving (Drying or Freezing)
- Recipe Suggestions
- References
Army-green color:
Above photo was taken in Macon, GA
Videos:
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Description:
Russula aeruginea, also known as the grass-green Russula, the tacky green Russula, or the green Russula, is an edible Russula mushroom. Widely distributed in northern temperate regions, it is usually found under birch, mostly in pine forests.
The cap is flat when young, soon funnel shaped and weakly striped; somewhat sticky and shiny, pale green to light grey-green, more rarely olive green. It is often 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) in diameter. The closely spaced gills are pale cream when young, later becoming light yellow when the spores mature. The stipe is white, occasionally with rust-coloured spots at the base, often rather short with longitudinal furrows. It measures 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) long by 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) thick. The flesh is white, brittle and without scent, with a mild taste.
The spore print is cream-yellow. Spores are spherical to oval with ridges and warts on the surface, and measure 6–8 by 6–7 μm.
Habitat:
The fruit bodies of Russula aeruginea grow on the ground in woods, in troops in leaf litter or in grass. It is ectomycorrhizal with birch, but also with found under conifers, particularly pine and spruce. It is widely distributed in northern temperate zones. Fruiting occurs from July to November in Europe, and in later summer to autumn in North America. The fungus is also found in East Africa.
Edibility:
R. aeruginea mushrooms are edible.
Similar Species:
Green specimens of the crab brittlegill, Russula xerampelina, can be mistaken for R. aeruginea. They can be readily distinguished in that specimens of R. xerampelina always smell of cooked shellfish, while specimens of R. aeruginea do not have any distinctive odor. Also, Russula subgraminicolor pictured below but now worries, all edible!
One other green-colored russula, also edible is Russula variata, which also has hues of pink to lavender pictured below:
Preserving (Drying or Freezing):
They are great dried and used in soups but fresh is fine too…
Recipe Suggestions:
Recipes for russula, or where they can be easily substituted.
- Pickled Hygrophorus Russula
- Puffball Ravioli With Wild Mushrooms and Kale
- Wild Mushroom Julienne
- Sweet and Sour Venison (or Beef etc) Soup With Wild Mushrooms
- Wild Mushroom Duxelles
- Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley
- Bison-Black Barley Stew, With Wild Mushrooms
- Wild Mushroom Conserve
- Wild Mushrooms With Garlic, Breadcrumbs and Chili