Lactarius pallescens
| Lactarius pallescens | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Russulales |
| Family: | Russulaceae |
| Genus: | Lactarius |
| Species: | L. pallescens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lactarius pallescens Hesler & A.H. Sm. (1979)
| |
| Lactarius pallescens | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
| Gills on hymenium | |
| Cap is flat or depressed | |
| Hymenium is subdecurrent | |
| Stipe is bare | |
| Spore print is white | |
| Ecology is mycorrhizal | |
| Edibility is unknown | |
Lactarius pallescens, commonly known as the pallid purple-staining milk cap,[1] is a Western North American "milk-cap" mushroom, of which the milk turns violet when the flesh is damaged. The fungi generally identified as L. pallescens are part of a complex of closely related species and varieties which have a peppery taste and are difficult to delimit definitively.[2]
The gray-brown cap ranges from 3 to 10 cm in width, with a mucilaginous surface,[3] whitish flesh and white latex. The gills are whitish and sometimes slightly decurrent.[3] The viscid stalk ranges from 3 to 8 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide. The spores are pale yellow to orange, elliptical, and bumpy. The flesh of the mushroom stains lilac.[4] In age, reddish stains develop.[3]
Distribution
Lactarius pallescens is found on the West Coast of the United States. In the Pacific Northwest, it can be found in conifer forests.[3]
Related species
Lactarius uvidus (a close relative)[4][3] and Lactarius californiensis are similar.
See also
References
- ^ Siegel, Noah; Schwarz, Christian (September 1, 2024). Mushrooms of Cascadia: A Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest. Humboldt County, CA: Backcountry Press. p. 260. ISBN 9781941624197.
- ^ Wood, Miichael (2013 January). Lactarius pallescens. On the MykoWeb.com Web site: [1]
- ^ a b c d e Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
- ^ a b Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.