Brittlegills, or Russulas, are simple-stemmed mushrooms without rings. They tend to have brightly coloured caps, usually red, purple, yellow or green. They’re often convex (curved) when young, and become flat or funnel-shaped as they mature.

The flesh tends to be granular, like a lump of sugar. The gills are brittle, hence the name, and are white or yellow.

Taste-wise, they vary a fair bit. Sometimes they’re hot, sometimes bitter, sometimes mild. Some are tasty, but in some cases the bitterness is strong enough to make them inedible.

Ones to avoid:

1. The Sickener (unsurprisingly…)
2. Bloody Brittlegill
3. Rosy Brittlegill
4. Red Swamp Brittlegill
5. Zvara
6. Beechwood Sickener
7. Rea
8. Birch Brittlegill
9. Fragile Brittlegill
10. Russula maculata
11. Russula Viscida
12. Russula Torulosa
13. Huijsman
14. Primrose Brittlegill
15. Russula Carpini
16. Russula Ruberrima
17. Russula zvarae
18. Russula Odorata
19. Russula Elegans
20. Russula Curtipes
21. Russula Seperina
22. Russula Alnetorum
23. Russula Amarissima
24. Variable Brittlegill
25. Russula Langei
26. Slender Brittlegill
27. Russula Farinipes
28. Russula Raoultii
29. Geranium Brittlegill
30. Russula Amoenolens
31. Stinking Brittlegill
32. Russula Pectinatoides
33. Bitter Almond Brittlegill
34. Russula Subfoetens

Ones to eat:

1. Scarlet Brittlegill
2. Russula roseipes
3. Gilded Brittlegill
4. Dawn Brittlegill
5. Purple Brittlegill (edible if cooked)
6. Russula Cessans
7. Britzelm
8. Darkening Brittlegill
9. Humpback Brittlegill
10. Russula Turci
11. Russula Vinosobrunnea
12. Yellowing Brittlegill
13. Purple Swamp Brittlegill
14. Crab Brittlegill
15. Russula Brunneoviolacea
16. Bare-Toothed Brittlegill
17. Russula Integra
18. Bleached Brittlegill
19. Russula Nauseosa (edible but not a great taste, hence the name…)
20. Olive Brittlegill
21. Russula Alutacea
22. Variable Russula (different from Variable Brittlegill)
23. Charcoal Burner
24. Greasy Green Brittlegill
25. Russula Grisea
26. Oilslick Brittlegill
27. Powdery Brittlegill
28. Velvet Brittlegill
29. Russula Graveolens
30. Greencracked Brittlegill
31. Green Brittlegill
32. Yellow Swamp Brittlegill
33. Golden Brittlegill
34. Ochre Brittlegill
35. Coral Brittlegill
36. Copper Brittlegill
37. Crowded Brittlegill
38. Milk-White Brittlegill
39. Blackening Brittlegill
40. Winecork Brittlegill
41. Russula Anthracina

In all honesty, given how many Brittlegills are poisonous or inedible, I would not be comfortable eating any as a novice. I would want extensive study before even attempting to identify any of them. Many look alike, making it excessively high risk for insufficient reward.

Be safe out there folks. Remember, when in doubt, leave it be!