| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lactarius > Lactarius hepaticus |
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Lactarius hepaticus [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo Lactarius hepaticus is mycorrhizal with pines (species of Pinus, which have bundled needles) and perhaps with other conifers. It features a dark reddish brown cap and stem, and milk that turns slowly yellowish--or at least stains white paper yellow. Apparently the North American version of Lactarius hepaticus has "less of a tendency to yellow on exposure to air" than the European version (Hesler & Smith, 1979). Other defining features include the cap's olive reaction to KOH, the lack of a distinctive odor, and the acrid or bitter taste. I have no information on the edibility of Lactarius hepaticus; do not experiment. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with pines (species of Pinus) and possibly with other conifers; summer and fall; widely distributed in North America. Cap: 3-9 cm; convex, becoming flat or shallowly depressed; dry or moist; smooth; dark brick red, liver red, reddish brown, or brown; without zones of color or texture, but the center often darker. Gills: Attached to the stem or running down it; close; whitish to pinkish or very pale tan; not bruising or discoloring. Stem: 4-9 cm long; up to about 1 cm thick; more or less equal; dry; without potholes; smooth; colored like the cap. Flesh: Thin; pale; not changing when sliced. Milk: White; not changing on exposure to air, or turning yellowish; not staining tissues, or staining them yellowish; staining white paper yellow. Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste slightly to strongly acrid. Spore Print: Cream. Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface olive. Microscopic Features: Spores 7.5-9 x 6-7 µ; broadly elliptical; ornamentation with prominences under .5 µ high; connecting lines sometimes forming a partial reticulum. Lactarius nitidus Burlingham is a synonym. REFERENCES: Plowright, 1905. (Hesler & Smith, 1979; Phillips, 1991/2005; Heilmann-Clausen et al., 1998; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 09300506. Further Online Information: Lactarius hepaticus in Hesler & Smith (1979) |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2007, September). Lactarius hepaticus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_hepaticus.html |