Lactarius thyinos

[ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

What a beautiful mushroom! Lactarius thyinos is found in cedar bogs in the northeastern U.S. and in Canada. It is easily identified: it is the only milky cap that has orange milk and does not bruise green. It is edible, though it's not likely to make anyone's Top Ten list. It is often found growing alongside Lactarius deliciosus, which also has orange milk and can look similar. Simply handling the two mushrooms will differentiate them, however; Lactarius deliciosus readily bruises green on all parts.

Description:

Ecology: Mycorrhizal with conifers, usually with Northern White Cedar; growing gregariously or scattered; summer and fall; northeastern North America and the Great Lakes region.

Cap: 3-9 cm; at first convex; becoming flat, with a shallow central depression, or vase-shaped; slimy or thinly slimy; the margin arched; smooth; zoned with concentric bands of carrot orange and paler orange.

Gills: Attached to the stem or running slightly down it; close or nearly distant; orange; bruising brownish.

Stem: 4-8 cm long; 1.5-2 cm thick; orange; more or less equal, or tapering somewhat to base; smooth; hollow; sometimes slimy when young; often with a whitish sheen above; sometimes bruising dull red or brownish.

Flesh: Thin; pale.

Milk: Orange; sometimes staining mushroom parts red.

Odor and Taste: Odor faintly fragrant; taste mild.

Spore Print: Pale yellowish white.

Microscopic Features: Spores 9-12 x 7.5-9 µ; broadly elliptical or more or less round; ornamentation partially reticulate, with prominences 0.5-0.7 µ high.

REFERENCES: A. H. Smith, 1960. (Hesler & Smith, 1979; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006; Nuytinck et al., 2006; Kuo, 2007.) Herb. Kuo 09029403, 09050201.

Further Online Information:

Lactarius thyinos in Hesler & Smith (1979)
Lactarius thyinos at Roger's Mushrooms

Lower-right specimen is being parasitized by a species of Hypomyces.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2003, January). Lactarius thyinos. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_thyinos.html