| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lactarius > Lactarius luculentus var. laetus |
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Lactarius luculentus var. laetus [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo This western milky cap grows under high-elevation conifers, and features an orange cap and stem. It is medium in size, and its white milk does not change color when exposed to air. The gills develop brownish stains, and the surface of the stem lacks potholes. Microscopic features (see below) will help confirm identification. Similar mushrooms include Lactarius rufus, which is more red and decidedly more acrid; and Lactarius subflammeus, which has a scarlet cap that only becomes orange when it fades, and gills that do not discolor brown. In Europe, Lactarius aurantiacus is very similar. Edibility is not known for Lactarius luculentus var. laetus. Do not experiment. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with conifers at high elevation in the western mountains, and with Sitka Spruce in coastal forests; summer and fall; Colorado to Washington and California. Cap: 2-6 cm; convex becoming flat or shallowly depressed, often with a central bump; dry or moist; smooth; bright orange, becoming duller orange with age; sometimes with a brownish center; consistently without concentric zones of color or texture. Gills: Attached to the stem or beginning to run down it; close; whitish to orangish or pinkish; often developing brownish stains and discolorations. Stem: 2-6 cm long; under 1 cm thick; more or less equal; dry or moist; without potholes; smooth; colored like the cap or a little paler. Flesh: Whitish to pale yellowish; not changing when sliced. Milk: White; not changing on exposure; staining the gills brownish. Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste mild, bitter, or slightly acrid--but not strongly acrid. Spore Print: White. Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap surface olive. Microscopic Features: Spores 8-10 x 7-8.5 µ; broadly elliptical; ornamentation with prominences under 1 µ high; connecting lines scattered, not forming a complete reticulum. Pleurocystidia up to 90 x 15 µ; fusoid. Pileipellis an ixotrichoderm. REFERENCES: Hesler & Smith, 1979. (Hesler & Smith, 1979; Phillips, 1991/2005; Methven, 1997.) Herb. Kuo 08180701. Further Online Information: Lactarius luculentus var. laetus in Hesler & Smith (1979) |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2007, September). Lactarius luculentus var. laetus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_luculentus_laetus.html |