Lactarius pallidus

Last updated
Lactarius pallidus
Fleischblasse Milchling Lactarius pallidus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Russulales
Family: Russulaceae
Genus: Lactarius
Species:
L. pallidus
Binomial name
Lactarius pallidus
Pers. (1797) [1]
Lactarius pallidus
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.pnggills on hymenium
Convex cap icon.svgDepressed cap icon.svg cap is convex or depressed
Decurrent gills icon2.svg hymenium is decurrent
Bare stipe icon.svg stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
spore print is ochre
Mycorrhizal fungus.svgecology is mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Edible.pngedibility: edible

Lactarius pallidus, the pale milkcap, is an edible mushroom of the genus Lactarius . It is pale in colour, and found on the floor in beech or birch woodland. It's smooth cap features a particularly thick layer of flesh and often has an incurved margin. Though generally considered edible, it is not recommended to be eaten raw. It is common in Europe, and less common in North America and Australasia.

Contents

Taxonomy

Lactarius pallidus was classified as a member of Lactarius by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries. It was first described by Christian Hendrik Persoon, [2] who named it Agaricus pallidus [3] in his 1797 book Tentamen dispositionis methodicae Fungorum. [4] It is known in English by its common name, the pale milkcap. [5]

Description

Lactarius pallidus gills Lactarius vellereus - Lindsey 1b.jpg
Lactarius pallidus gills

Lactarius pallidus has a cap of 4 to 10 centimetres (1.6 to 3.9 in) across. In shape, it is initially a flattened convex, developing a funnel-shaped depression with age. It is pale buff in colour, sometimes dull but often with a rosy tint. It can also be a pale brown or pale flesh colour. The cap is smooth, firm, and sticky, and has a thick layer of white to buff flesh. The margin is incurved on younger specimens. [2] The pale colour, incurved margin, and smooth cap are its most distinguishing features. [6] The stem is 3 to 8 centimetres (1.2 to 3.1 in) long, by 6 to 28 millimetres (0.24 to 1.10 in) thick. In shape, the stem is cylindrical or slightly narrowed at the base, and is concolorous with the cap or whitish. The moderately decurrent, crowded gills are pale rosy buff to yellowish buff, and leak white milk. The spores are elliptic, with ridges of varying thickness running across them, forming few cross-connections. They typically measure 8 to 10 by 6 to 7 micrometres. The spores leave a spore print that is pale ochre with a slight salmon tinge. [2]

Lactarius pallidus is similar in appearance to L. affinis , but is differentiated by the fact that the former lacks the peppery taste of the latter. [7]

Edibility

Though generally considered edible, [8] especially after cooking, [2] L. pallidus has been described by some mycologists as inedible. [6] The milk has a mild to moderately hot taste. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Lactarius pallidus is typically found growing mycorrhizally under beech, but can also be found under birch. [6] It is typically half-buried among leaf litter. [6] It can sometimes be found in large groups, [6] and occurs throughout summer and autumn. [2] It can be found commonly in Europe but is much rarer in North America. [7] It can also be found in Australia. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Lactarius controversus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius controversus, commonly known as the blushing milkcap, is a large funnel-capped fungus within the genus Lactarius, which are collectively known as 'milk caps'. They all exude milky drops (lactate) from the flesh and gills when damaged.

<i>Lactarius subdulcis</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius subdulcis, commonly known as the mild milkcap or beech milk cap, is an edible mushroom in the genus Lactarius. It is brown in colour, with a large number of gills and a particularly thin layer of flesh in the cap. Mycorrhizal, the mushroom is found from late summer to late autumn at the base of beech trees in small groups or individually, where it is one of the two most common species of fungi. Alternatively, it can be found in large groups in fields, sometimes with more than a hundred individual mushrooms. It is found in Europe, and, despite previous research to the contrary, is absent in North America. Although considered edible, it is not particularly useful as food due to its ivy-like taste and the fact that more choice mushrooms will be easily found at the same time. L. subdulcis is known for its abundant, sweet-tasting milk that, unlike the latex of some of its relatives, does not stain fabric yellow.

<i>Lactarius blennius</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius blennius is a medium-sized mushroom of the genus Lactarius found commonly in beech forests in Europe, where it is mycorrhizal, favouring the European beech. It was first described by Elias Magnus Fries. Though its colour and size vary, it is distinctive because it is slimy when wet and exudes copious amounts of milk. It has been the subject of some chemical research, and it can be used to produce pigments and blennins. Blennins, some of which have shown potential medical application, are derived from lactarane, a chemical so named because of their association with Lactarius. The edibility of L. blennius is uncertain, with different mycologists suggesting that it is edible, inedible or even poisonous.

<i>Lactarius rufus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius rufus is a common, medium-sized member of the mushroom genus Lactarius, whose many members are commonly known as milkcaps. Known by the common name of the rufous milkcap, or the red hot milk cap in North America. It is dark brick red in color, and grows with pine or birch trees.

<i>Lactarius glyciosmus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius glyciosmus, commonly known as the coconut scented milk cap, is a semi-edible mushroom in the genus Lactarius. Mycorrhizal, it can be found growing in soil at the base of birch trees in Europe. It is typically coloured a greyish lilac, with the sometimes hollow stem a little lighter coloured than the cap. It has crowded, decurrent gills, and smells strongly of coconuts.

<i>Lactarius tabidus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius tabidus, commonly known as the birch milkcap, is an inedible mushroom of the genus Lactarius. It can be found in North America and Europe, and grows at the base of pine in Autumn. Its white milk stains fabric a sulphur yellow, from which its specific epithet derives.

<i>Lactarius vietus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius vietus is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae, first described by Elias Magnus Fries. It produces moderately sized and brittle mushrooms, which grow on the forest floor or on rotting wood. The flattened-convex cap can vary in shape, sometimes forming the shape of a wide funnel. It is typically grey, but the colour varies. The species has crowded, light-coloured gills, which produce white milk. The spore print is typically whitish, but also varies considerably. The mushrooms typically have a strong, acrid taste and have been described as inedible, but other authors have described them as consumable after boiling. L. vietus feeds by forming an ectomycorrhizal relationship with surrounding trees, and it favours birch. It grows in autumn months and is fairly common in Europe, North America and eastern Asia.

<i>Lactarius quietus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius quietus is a mushroom of the genus Lactarius. It is easily identified by its oily scent and the concentric bands on its cap. It is brown, and is probably named after its matt, "quiet" surface and colouration. It is found exclusively under oak trees in Europe, where it grows solitarily or in scattered groups in autumn months. In North America, the variety L. quietus var. incanus is fairly common in the same habitat. The mushroom's edibility is disputed.

<i>Lactarius chrysorrheus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius chrysorrheus is a member of the genus Lactarius, whose many members are commonly known as milkcaps. It has recently been given the English (common) name of the yellowdrop milkcap. It is pale salmon in color, poisonous, and grows in symbiosis with oak trees.

<i>Lactarius alnicola</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius alnicola, commonly known as the golden milkcap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The fruit bodies produced by the fungus are characterized by a sticky, vanilla-colored cap up to 20 cm (7.9 in) wide with a mixture of yellow tones arranged in faint concentric bands. The stem is up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and has yellow-brown spots. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex, which has an intensely peppery taste. The acrid taste of the fruit bodies renders them unpalatable. The fungus is found in the western United States and Mexico, where it grows in mycorrhizal associations with various coniferous trees species, such as spruce, pine and fir, and deciduous species such as oak and alder. It has also been collected in India. Two varieties have been named: var. pitkinensis, known from Colorado, and var. pungens, from Michigan.

<i>Lactarius affinis</i> Species of mushroom

Lactarius affinis, commonly known as the kindred milk cap, is a species of milk-cap mushroom in the family Russulaceae. It is found northeastern North America, where it fruits in the summer and fall, and is common in the Great Lakes region. Its fruit bodies have medium to large, slimy dull yellow or brownish caps. Although not considered poisonous, it is unpalatable because of its highly acrid taste.

<i>Lactarius fallax</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius fallax, commonly known as the velvety milk cap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. Found in both spruce and mixed conifer forests, it is a fairly common species in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, with a northerly range extending to Alaska. Its fruit bodies are medium-sized, with velvety, brown to blackish caps up to 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) in diameter bearing a distinct pointed umbo. The caps are supported by velvety stems up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 1.5 cm (0.6 in) thick. The mushroom oozes a whitish latex when it is cut, and injured tissue eventually turns a dull reddish color. The eastern North American and European species Lactarius lignyotus is closely similar in appearance, but can be distinguished by its differing range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lactifluus deceptivus</span> Species of fungus

Lactifluus deceptivus, commonly known as the deceiving milkcap, is a common species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is found throughout eastern North America on the ground in coniferous forests near hemlock or deciduous forests near oak, and in oak-dominated forests of Costa Rica. It produces large mushrooms with funnel-shaped caps reaching up to 25 cm (9.8 in) in diameter, on top of hard white stems that may reach 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) long and up to 3 cm (1.2 in) thick. The gills are closely spaced together and yellowish-cream in color. When young, the cap is white in all parts, but the depressed center becomes dull brownish in age and breaks up into scales. The edge of the cap has a roll of cottony tissue that collapses as the cap expands. The surface of the stem—especially near the base—has a velvety texture. The mushroom "bleeds" a milky white acrid latex when it is cut or injured. Similar milk-cap species with which L. deceptivus might be confused include Lactifluus piperatus, L. pseudodeceptivus, L. caeruleitinctus, L. subvellereus, Lactarius arcuatus and Lactarius parvulus.

<i>Lactarius argillaceifolius</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius argillaceifolius is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus have convex to flattened drab lilac-colored caps that are up to 18 cm (7.1 in) wide. The cream-colored gills are closely spaced together and extend slightly down the length of the stem, which is up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long by 3.5 cm (1.4 in) thick. The mushroom produces an off-white latex when injured that stains the mushroom tissue brownish.

<i>Amanita nothofagi</i> Species of fungus

Amanita nothofagi is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Endemic to New Zealand, the species was first described by mycologist Greta Stevenson in 1962. The fruit bodies have dark brown caps that are up to 13 cm (5.1 in) in diameter and covered with patches of soft greyish-brown scales or warts. The gills underneath the cap are crowded together, free from attachment to the stem, and white, becoming tinged with yellow in age. The stem of the mushroom is 4–14 cm (1.6–5.5 in) long by 0.5–2.5 cm (0.2–1.0 in) thick, and has a ring. The spore print is white, and individual spores are spherical to ellipsoid, measuring 7.5–9 by 7.5–9 micrometres. The mushroom may be confused with another New Zealand species, A. australis, but can be distinguished by certain characteristics. Amanita nothofagi is a mycorrhizal species, and grows in association with native New Zealand trees such as Southern Beech.

<i>Lactarius vinaceorufescens</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius vinaceorufescens, commonly known as the yellow-staining milkcap or the yellow-latex milky, is a poisonous species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. It produces mushrooms with pinkish-cinnamon caps up to 12 cm (4.7 in) wide held by pinkish-white stems up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long. The closely spaced whitish to pinkish buff gills develop wine-red spots in age. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex that rapidly turns bright sulfur-yellow. The species, common and widely distributed in North America, grows in the ground in association with conifer trees. There are several other Lactarius species that bear resemblance to L. vinaceorufescens, but most can be distinguished by differences in staining reactions, macroscopic characteristics, or habitat.

<i>Lactarius fuliginosus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius fuliginosus, commonly known as the sooty milkcap, is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The medium-sized fruit bodies have velvety, grayish-brown caps and crowded gills. It is found in deciduous forests of Asia, Europe, and North America.

<i>Lactarius scoticus</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius scoticus is a member of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. It is found in Europe, where it grows in peat bogs in a mycorrhizal association with birch.

<i>Lactarius porninsis</i> Species of fungus

Lactarius porninsis, the larch milkcap, is a member of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. It is found in Europe and Asia, where it grows in a mycorrhizal association with larch.

<i>Lactifluus clarkeae</i> Species of fungus

Lactifluus clarkeae, formerly known as Lactarius clarkeae, is a species of mushroom-forming fungus in the family Russulaceae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand in mycorrhizal association with species of Nothofagus and the family Myrtaceae.

References

  1. Index Fungorum
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Phillips, Roger (1981). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe. London: Pan Books. p. 83. ISBN   0-330-26441-9.
  3. Farlow, W. G. (2007). Bibliographical Index of North American Fungi - Vol I - Abrothallus to Badhamia. Read Books. p. 143. ISBN   978-1-4067-2125-6.
  4. 1 2 May, Tom. "Lactarius pallidus". Interactive Catalogue of Australian Fungi. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne and Australian Biological Resources Study . Retrieved 2009-02-09.[ dead link ]
  5. Phillips, Roger. "Lactarius pallidus". RogersMushrooms. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Pegler, David N. (1983). Mushrooms and Toadstools. London: Mitchell Beazley Publishing. p. 115. ISBN   0-85533-500-9.
  7. 1 2 McKnight, Vera B.; Peterson, Roger Tory (1998). A Field Guide to Mushrooms, North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 326. ISBN   978-0-395-91090-0.
  8. Cooke, M. C. (2007). British Edible Fungi. Read Books. p. 230. ISBN   978-1-4067-5608-1.