(30 votes, average: 3.90 out of 5)
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Ochre Brittlegill
Edible 
Autumn 
Summer 
Very common and well worth putting in the pot although some books belittle this mushroom.
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Ochre Brittlegill (EN), Common Yellow Russula, Yellow Brittlegill, Tegyll Brau Melyn (CY), Gołąbek Brudnożółty (PL), Fakósárga Galambgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Russula ochroleuca |
| Synonyms | Russula citrina |
| Season Start | Aug |
| Season End | Nov |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 8 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 10 |
Cap
Yellow, light tan coloured. Starting convex, flattening with a depression in the middle.
Gills
Gills white/cream coloured, fairly crowded and brittle when handled.
Stem
White becoming off white/ grey with age. Should snap a bit like chalk.
Flesh
White.
Habitat
Mixed woodland.
Possible Confusion
Other Russulas. As long as the cap is yellow you are fairly safe with Russulas with one important exception, The Geranium Brittlegill (Russula fellea), pictured, which is paler yellow, smells of geraniums and is poisonous, the smell is the best identification of this fungi. Another test for Russulas is the taste test, if a tiny amount placed on the tongue and chewed a burn like chilli means the mushroom is poisonous, a pleasant mushroomy taste means it is edible. The peppery taste of this mushroom is mild and not like chilli. This test should only be attempted when you are certain you have a mushroom from the Russula family.
Spore Print
White/cream. Broadly ovoid.
Taste / Smell
Slightly hot or peppery when raw.
Frequency
Very common.
Other Facts
The Russula family split from other mushrooms, evolutionarily, many years ago and have round cells instead of most other living organisms which have elongated cells, this gives Russulas the common name Brittlegills as the cells make the mushroom brittle.
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