| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lactarius > Lactarius subplinthogalus |
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Lactarius subplinthogalus [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo This milky cap is found east of the Rocky Mountains, and is especially common in the southeastern United States. It is easy enough to identify: the cap is pale, and its margin is often (though not always) scalloped or pleated; the gills are very distant; and the milk, which is white when exuded, dries a bright salmon color on the gills and flesh. Lactarius subplinthogalus is listed as "not edible" or "not recommended" in field guides. This is probably due to the mushroom's bitter taste. I doubt it is truly poisonous--but I do not recommend it for the table. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods and, sometimes, conifers; growing alone or scattered; summer and fall; widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains, but especially common in the southeast. Cap: 3-10 cm; flat, with a central depression, or shallowly vase-shaped; the margin usually scalloped or pleated by maturity, at least shallowly; smooth or somewhat wrinkled, especially in age; whitish to buff, eventually light brown or brownish gray; more or less evenly colored. Gills: Very distant; running slightly down the stem; about 1-3 mm apart at the margin; stained salmon (sometimes slowly) by the milk. Stem: 3-8 cm long; .5-1.5 cm thick at apex; equal or tapering to base; smooth; colored like the cap or paler; dry; hollowing. Flesh: Soft; whitish but staining salmon when cut. Milk: White as exhuded, salmon shortly after exposure. Odor and Taste: Odor not distinctive; taste acrid (sometimes mild, in my experience). Spore Print: Creamy or buff. Chemical Reactions: KOH on cap negative. Microscopic Features: Spores 7.5-9.5 x 7-8 µ; broadly elliptical to nearly round; ornamentation as scattered warts and lines, not forming a reticulum. with prominences 1.5-2.5 µ high. REFERENCES: Coker, 1918. (Coker, 1918; Hesler & Smith, 1979; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Weber & Smith, 1985; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Roody, 2003.) Herb. Kuo 08240204, 06270301, 07280305, 08040304, 07070709. Further Online Information: Lactarius subplinthogalus in Hesler & Smith (1979) |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2002, August). Lactarius subplinthogalus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_subplinthogalus.html |