| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lactarius > Lactarius hygrophoroides |
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Lactarius hygrophoroides [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo This beautiful milky cap is fairly easy to recognize; look for the orange to brownish orange cap, the very distant gills, the copious white milk that does not change color or stain the mushroom's parts, and the mild taste. Several varieties exist; see the comments below for details. Lactarius hygrophoroides is edible, and several field guide authors recommend it. I have not tried it, but it seems more appealing to me than the (somewhat) similar Lactarius volemus, which has close gills and smells like dead fish. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods; growing gregariously or scattered; summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains (also recorded from Texas). Cap: 3-10 cm; at first convex with a central depression; becoming flat, with a shallow central depression, or vase-shaped; appearing dusted or velvety; dry; the margin even, slightly incurved at first; smooth or slightly rugged; evenly colored orange cinnamon to dull cinnamon. Gills: Attached to the stem or running slightly down it; distant; whitish becoming cream colored or pale yellowish; not staining. Stem: 3-5 cm long; .5-1.5 cm thick; colored like the cap or paler; more or less equal; smooth; solid. Flesh: Firm; white. Milk: White, unchanging; copious. Odor and Taste: Mild. Spore Print: White. Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface pale olive. Microscopic Features: Spores 7-9.5 (10.5) x 6-7.5 µ; elliptical; ornamentation as isolated warts with few connecting lines (occasionally partially reticulate); prominences 0.2-0.4 µ high. REFERENCES: Berkeley & Curtis, 1859. (Saccardo, 1887; Coker, 1918; Kauffman, 1918; Hesler & Smith, 1979; Weber & Smith, 1985; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 07290305, 07210703. Hesler and Smith (1979) describe three varieties, aside from the mushroom described above. Lacarius hygrophoroides var. odoratus has a "strongly alkaline" odor and milk that stains the gills pinkish gray. Its spores are roughly the same size, but its spore print is pale yellow. It is recorded from North Carolina and Texas. Lactarius hygrophoroides var. rugatus is a European variety that may or may not occur in North America; it has gills that stain brownish. Lactarius hygrophoroides var. lavendulaceus is recorded from Michigan and Tennessee; its cut surfaces stain pinkish brown, then brown, and it has gills that develop a pinkish hue in age, and a pale pinkish spore print. For more details on these varieties, see the links below. Lactarius distans Peck has been synonymized with Lactarius hygrophoroides var. hygrophoroides by Hesler and Smith (1979). Further Online Information: L. hygrophoroides var. hygrophoroides in Hesler & Smith, 1979 |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2007, September). Lactarius hygrophoroides. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_hygrophoroides.html |