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Lactarius psammicola & Lactarius zonarius [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo Sorting out the differences between Lactarius psammicola, Lactarius zonarius, and a few other species (all of the above with "varieties" and "forms," of course), is nothing short of a lactariological nightmare. My suspicion is that the North American continent holds a great many mushrooms that belong in this cluster of species, many of which are not described. Others have been described, but not well. See my comments below for a brief picture of the mycological brouhaha surrounding these species. Whatever the proper name or names should be, the mushrooms in question can be distinguished by the following macrocharacters:
Obviously, since identification of these mushrooms is such a nightmare, the edibility question should not even be on the table. The European species Lactarius zonarius is listed as poisonous in most field guides. Description (Lactarius psammicola): Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods (especially oaks); growing gregariously or scattered; summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains. Lactarius psammicola occurs in some places in Costa Rica, under oak; see the link below. Cap: 4-14 cm; at first with a deep central depression and an inrolled margin that is more or less bearded and hairy; later vase-shaped, with the margin typically remaining somewhat inrolled and softly leathery or hairy; with a quickly drying slime that covers the finely hairy surface and creates rough bumps; with buff and orange concentric zones of color. Gills: Running down the stem; close; rarely forking near the stem; whitish or buff, becoming darker and dirty; sometimes bruising "pinkish lilac" or brownish. Stem: 1-3 cm long; 1-2 cm thick; whitish, sometimes discoloring; tapering to base; often with pot-holes. Flesh: Thick, white. Milk: White, unchanging or slowly changing to pinkish lilac; slowly staining white paper yellow. Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste strongly acrid. Spore Print: Yellowish. Microscopic Features: Spores: 7.5-9 x 6-7.5 µ; broadly elliptical; with scattered connecting lines; prominences to 0.5 µ high. REFERENCES: Smith, 1941. (Hesler & Smith, 1979; Phillips, 1991/2005; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 09010201, 07070710. The western, spruce-associated Lactarius olympianus differs on several important features; see the linked page for comparison. Lactarius zonarius, if it occurs in North America, differs from Lactarius psammicola by having a less rugged cap, a less hairy immature cap margin, milk that never changes to pinkish lilac, gills that bruise brownish, a stem with indistinct or smaller pot-holes (about 1 mm across), a brighter yellow spore print, and spores ornamented with a sparse network of fine lines, but without spines (though Phillips, 1991, records spines with prominences to 1 µ high). These seem like fairly distinctive differences to me, and plenty of people have found mushrooms matching the description of Lactarius zonarius--but no one seems to want to believe them. "This species is widely reported from the Northern Hemisphere," say Hesler & Smith (1979), "but in terms of critical study, most reports are meaningless" (252). Phillips (1991) describes and illustrates Lactarius zonarius in North America, saying it is reported "from New Jersey and in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains" (94). Phillips is a European nature photographer with ample European collecting experience; my guess is that, when collecting for his North American book, he found Lactarius zonarius and recognized it at once from his European experience with the mushroom. In deference to the experts, however, Phillips adds that "[t]he occurrence of this species in North America needs further study." To complicate things further, both Lactarius psammicola and Lactarius zonarius have gone under the name of the European species Lactarius insulus . . . and there are "varieties" and "forms" of all of the above. Feel free to slog through the links below for more information. Further Online Information: Lactarius psammicola in Hesler & Smith (1979) |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2003, January). Lactarius psammicola & Lactarius zonarius. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_psammicola.html |