The powdery nature of the caps of this mushroom make it one of the slightly easier Russulas to identify.
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Powdery Brittlegill
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Powdery Brittlegill
| Mushroom Type | |
| Common Names | Powdery Brittlegill (EN), Tegyll Brau Blodiog (CY), Gołąbek Chmurny (PL), Deres Galambgomba (HU) |
| Scientific Name | Russula parazurea |
| Season Start | Jul |
| Season End | Oct |
| Average Mushroom height (CM) | 8 |
| Average Cap width (CM) | 10 |
Please note that each and every mushroom you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Cap
Grey, blue sometimes with a hint of green or even a violet tinge around the edge of the cap with a matt finish. Can feel a bit greasy when wet. The powdery bloom can wash off in older mushrooms.
Gills
Gills white to cream and attached to the stem. Crowded. Brittle to the touch.
Stem
White and when snapped feels a bit like chalk.
Flesh
White and quite firm.
Habitat
Broad leaved woodland especially oak or beech and occasionally with pine.
Possible Confusion
Other grey Russulas like the Charcoal Burner, pictured, but these are edible if tested with the taste test, see identifying Russulas. The distinctive ‘powdery’ matt cap helps with the identification of this mushroom.
Spore Print
Pale cream. Subglobose.
Taste / Smell
Mushroomy, mild but can be slightly hot .
Frequency
Widespread. Common in England, occasional or rarely reported from elsewhere in the UK.
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.
In March 2025 the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) added 1000 fungal species to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN (Global) Conservation Status of Powdery Brittlegill (Russula parazurea) is: LC – Least Concern, with stable population. For more information, see on the following link.
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