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    Variable brittlegill

    Russula versicolor Jul.Schäff. · Russulaceae

    Inedible

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Variable brittlegill
    Photo: Ron Pastorino (Ronpast) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The variable brittlegill is a small, highly variably coloured brittlegill under birch whose flesh tends to turn yellow. It tastes slightly hot and is considered inedible.

    SeasonJune to October
    Spore printochre
    FamilyRussulaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 3 to 6 cm wide and highly variable in colour: pink, violet, greenish to brownish, often banded in rings.
    2. Underside. The gills are pale ochre.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is white, turning yellow with age. There is no ring and no volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It tastes slightly hot.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is white and turns yellow.

    Lookalikes

    Tastes slightly hot and is considered inedible.

    Habitat & Season

    Open spots in various woodland types. From lowland to mountain regions.

    Host trees

    Birch, rarely alder.

    Season

    possible good main season

    From late June.

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

    All mushroom regions →

    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Not an edible mushroom: do not collect it for the kitchen.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Not specially protected.

    Salzburg: collecting inedible mushrooms is prohibited.

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    Why it is not edible

    Hot taste.

    Do not collect it for eating.

    Frequently asked questions

    Variable brittlegill: is it edible?

    No, it is considered inedible. Tastes slightly hot and is considered inedible.

    Variable brittlegill: when and where does it grow?

    The season in central Europe runs from June to October. From late June. Tree partner and habitat: Birch, rarely alder. Soil: Open spots in various woodland types. Altitude: From lowland to mountain regions.

    Variable brittlegill: what are the lookalikes?

    The most important distinction is from Death cap (Amanita phalloides, deadly poisonous): Greenish forms: check for a ring and a sac-like volva. Other lookalikes: mild birch brittlegills.

    Related species

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    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

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