L. insul´sus Fr.—tasteless. Pileus 2–4 in. broad, convex and umbilicate, then funnel-shaped, glabrous, viscid, more or less zonate, yellowish, the margin naked. Gills thin, close, adnate or decurrent, some of them forked at the base, whitish or pallid. Stem 1–2 in. long, 4–6 lines thick, equal or slightly tapering downward, stuffed or hollow, whitish or yellowish, generally spotted. Spores 7.6–9µ. Milk white, taste acrid.
Thin woods and open, grassy places. Greenbush and Sandlake, N.Y. July and August.
Our plant has the pileus pale yellow or straw color, and sometimes nearly white, but European forms have been described as having it orange-yellow and brick-red. It is generally, though often obscurely, zonate. The zones are ordinarily more distinct near the margin, where they are occasionally very narrow and close. The milk in the Greenbush specimens had a thin, somewhat watery appearance. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. July to September. Common in mixed woods and grassy places. McIlvaine.
Edible. Cordier, Curtis.
L. insulsus is another peppery member of Lactarius which has suffered unjustly. I have eaten it since 1881, and think it the best of the hot milk species. Its flesh is not as coarse as others, and is of better flavor. There is little difference in quality between it and L. deliciosus.
L. hys´ginus Fr. Gr—a crimson dye. Pileus 2–3 in. broad, rigid, at first convex, then nearly plane, umbilicate or slightly depressed, even, viscid, zoneless or rarely obscurely zonate, reddish-incarnate, tan-color or brownish-red, becoming paler with age, the thin margin inflexed. Gills close, adnate or subdecurrent, whitish, becoming yellowish or cream-colored. Stem 1–2 in. long, 4–8 lines thick, equal, glabrous, stuffed or hollow, colored like the pileus, or a little paler, sometimes spotted. Milk white, taste acrid.
Woods. Sandlake and Canoga, N.Y. July and August. Not common.
The reddish hue of the pileus distinguishes this species from its allies. The gluten or viscidity of the pileus in our specimens was rather tenacious and persistent. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores subglobose, whitish on black paper, yellowish on white paper, 9–10µ Peck; 10×7–8µ Massee.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897. Mixed woods. August, September.
Not very acrid. The entire acridity disappears in cooking. Several specimens were found and eaten, enough to prove it esculent and of good quality.
L. plum´beus Fr.—like plumbum, lead. Pileus 2—5 in. broad, compact, convex, then infundibuliform, dry, unpolished sooty or brownish-black. Gills crowded, white, or yellowish. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 3–6 lines thick, solid, equal, thick. Milk white, acrid, unchangeable. Spores 6.3–7.6µ.
The specimens which I have referred to this species were found in the Catskill mountains several years ago, growing in hemlock woods, under spruce and balsam trees. I have not met with the species since. The pileus in the larger specimens had a minutely tomentose appearance, but in the dried specimens this has disappeared. They also varied in color from blackish-brown to pinkish-brown and grayish-brown, but they can scarcely be more than a mere form or variety of the species the description of which, as given by Fries, I have quoted. In the Handbook the pileus is described as dark fuliginous-gray or brown, and Gillet describes it as black-brown, dark fuliginous or lead color, and adds that the plant is poisonous and the milk very acrid and burning. Cordier says that the flesh is white and the taste bitter and disagreeable. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Poisonous. Gillet.
L. pergame´nus Fr.—parchment. White. Pileus fleshy, pliant, convex then plano-depressed, spread, zoneless, slightly wrinkled, smooth. Stem stuffed, smooth, changing color. Gills adnate, very narrow, horizontal, very crowded, branched, white, then straw-color. Milk white, acrid.
Very much allied to L. piperatus, but differing in the stem being stuffed, at length softer internally, elongated, 3 in., unequal, attenuated downward and here and there ascending, quite smooth; in the pileus being thinner, pliant, elastic, most frequently irregular and excentric, for the most part flexuous, at first convex (not umbilicate), then rather plane, the surface very smooth, but unpolished and wrinkled in a peculiar manner; and in the gills being adnate, not decurrent, very crowded, very narrow (scarcely 1 line broad), always straight and horizontal, not arcuate or extended upward, soon straw-color. The flesh is very milky, but the gills are sparingly so. Fries.
In woods. October.
Spores subglobose, rather irregular, 6–8µ C.B.P.; broadly elliptical, echinulate, 7×5–6µ Massee.
Eaten on the continent and Nova Scotia. Edible. Cooke.
North Carolina, Curtis; New England, Frost; Ohio, Morgan.
L. pipera´tus Fr.—piper, pepper. (Plate XLI, fig. 1, p. 160.) Pileus 4–9 in. broad, white, fleshy, rigid, umbilicate when young, reflexed (margin at first involute) at the circumference, when full grown wholly funnel-shaped, for the most part regular, even, smooth, zoneless. Flesh white. Stem 1–2 in. long, 1–2 in. thick, solid, obese, equal or obconical, even, obsoletely pruinose, white. Gills decurrent, crowded, narrow, scarcely broader than 1 line, obtuse at the edge, dividing by pairs, arcuate then all extended upward in a straight line, white, here and there with yellow spots. Milk white, unchangeable, plentiful and very acrid.
Compact, firm, dry, inodorous. The pileus becomes obsoletely yellow when old. Although the gills are spotted with yellow, they do not change to straw color like those of L. pergamenus. Fries.
Spores white, nearly smooth, 6.3–7.6µ Peck; subglobose, 8–9µ diameter Massee; 5×6µ W.G.S.
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, 1881–1885. New Jersey, Pennsylvania in woods and on grassy places. July to October. McIlvaine.
Edible. Curtis.
L. piperatus is a readily distinguished species. It is very common. In 1881, after an extensive forest fire in the West Virginia forests, I saw miles of the blackened district made white by a growth of this fungus. It was the phenomenal growth which first attracted my attention to toadstools. I collected it then in quantity and used it, with good results, as a fertilizer on impoverished ground.
It has been eaten for many years in most countries, yet a few writers continue to warn against it. It is the representative fungus of its class—meaty, coarse, fair flavor. It is edible and is good food when one is hungry and can not get better. It is best used as an absorbent of gravies.
L. decepti´vus Pk.—deceiving. Pileus 3–5 in. broad, compact, at first convex and umbilicate, then expanded and centrally depressed or subinfundibuliform, obsoletely tomentose or glabrous except on the margin, white or whitish, often varied with yellowish or sordid stains, the margin at first involute and clothed with a dense, soft or cottony tomentum, then spreading or elevated and more or less fibrillose. Gills rather broad, distant or subdistant, adnate or decurrent, some of them forked, whitish, becoming cream-colored. Stem 1–3 in. long, 8–18 lines thick, equal or narrowed downward, solid, pruinose-pubescent, white. Spores white, 9–12.7µ. Milk white, taste acrid.
Woods and open places, especially under hemlock trees. Common. July to September.
Trial of its edible qualities was made without any evil consequences. The acridity was destroyed by cooking. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Alabama, U. and E.; New York, Peck, 38th Rep.; West Virginia, 1881–1885, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Woods and open places. July to October. McIlvaine.
In common with all peppery Lactarii the present species loses the quality in cooking. The edible qualities then depend upon texture, substance, flavor. The species is coarse but meaty and of fair flavor.
L. velle´reus Fr.—vellus, fleece. Pileus 2–5 in. broad, compact, at first convex and umbilicate, then expanded and centrally depressed or subinfundibuliform, the whole surface minutely velvety-tomentose, soft to the touch, white or whitish, the margin at first involute, then reflexed. Gills distant or subdistant, adnate or decurrent, sometimes forked, whitish becoming yellowish or cream-colored. Stem .5–2 in. long, 6–16 lines thick, firm, solid, equal or tapering downward, pruinose-pubescent, white. Milk white, taste acrid. Spores white.
Woods and open places. Common. July to September. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores white, nearly smooth, 7–9µ. Peck; 4×8µ W.G.S.
West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Woods and open places. July to October. McIlvaine.
Poisonous according to some authors. Cordier. Edible. Leveille. Eaten it for eighteen years. McIlvaine.
This common, very acrid species is characterized by the downy covering of its cap.
It is a coarse species, but meaty. Its acridity is lost in cooking, when it makes a fair dish.
L. involu´tus Soppitt.—involved. Every part white or with a very slight ochraceous tinge. Pileus 1–2 in. across, flesh about 1½ lines thick, equal up to the margin, compact, rigid, convex, soon becoming plane or slightly depressed, margin strongly and persistently involute, extreme edge minutely silky, remainder even and glabrous. Gills very slightly decurrent, densely crowded, not ½ line broad, sometimes forked. Stem ⅔-1 in. long, 2–3 lines thick, equal, or slightly thickened at the base, glabrous, even, solid, very firm. Milk white, unchangeable, not scanty, very hot. Spores obliquely elliptical, smooth, 5×3µ.
Very firm and rigid, resembling in habit L. vellereus in miniature. Most nearly allied to L. scoticus, but known at once by the exceedingly narrow, densely-crowded gills and the smooth, elliptical spores. Massee.
West Virginia, 1881–1885, plentiful. Angora, West Philadelphia. August, September, 1897. In mixed woods. McIlvaine.
Much smaller than L. piperatus. Pileus convex, then plane with depressions in center, margin involute. Gills slightly decurrent, densely crowded, very narrow. Stem short, firm, solid. Milk white, very hot.
L. involutus is readily mistaken for small forms of L. vellereus and L. piperatus. The extremely narrow gills, so close and firm that it takes sharp eyes to follow them, are a distinguishing mark.
Its flesh is of same consistency as L. piperatus—hard and coarse. It loses its pepperiness in cooking and is a good emergency plant, or solvent.
America is rich in this section. Fries records but two species, L. deliciosus and L. sanguifluus, while America has four. The edible properties of three are known to be good; L. subpurpureus has not come under observation, but is added to complete the series as it is probably edible and is well marked by its dark-red milk. McIlvaine.
L. delicio´sus Fr.—delicious. (Plate XLI, fig. 3, p. 160.) Pileus 2–6 in. broad, orange-brick-color, yellowish or grayish-orange, becoming pale, fleshy, when quite young depressed in the center, margin naked, involute, then plano-depressed or broadly funnel-shaped with the margin unfolded, smooth, slightly viscid, zoned (zones sometimes obsolete). Flesh soft, not compact, pallid, colored at the circumference only by the juice. Stem 1–2 in. and more long, 1 in. thick, stuffed then hollow, at length fragile, equal or attenuated at the base, spotted in a pitted manner, of the same color as the pileus or paler. Gills somewhat decurrent, crowded, narrow, arcuate, often branched, typically saffron-yellow, but becoming pale and always becoming green when wounded. Milk aromatic, from the first red-brick-saffron. Fries.
Spores white, spheroid, echinulate 7–8µ K.; 6µ W.G.S.; echinulate, 9–10×7–8µ Massee; subglobose, 7.6–10µ Peck.
In woods, under firs, etc.
Pileus dingy orange-red becoming pale, often greenish. Every part turns to a homely green when bruised. It is from 3 to 5 in. across, thick, convex, then depressed in center, margin at first curved in. Gills decurrent, narrow, saffron-color. Milk saffron-red or orange changing to green; sweet scented but slightly acrid. I have never seen but one specimen with milk distinctly orange, and changing to green. The milk in this species varies in color, much depending upon moisture. It grows in patches, sometimes in clusters.
Edible. Curtis.
There is no question of its edibility. Old and modern writers applaud it. Each cooks to his liking and thinks his own way best. It requires forty minutes' stewing or baking; less time if roasted or fried. It can be cooked in any way, but, like all Lactarii, it must be well cooked.
L. in´digo Schw.—(Plate XLI, fig. 2, p. 160.) Pileus 2–5 in. broad, at first umbilicate with the margin involute, then depressed or infundibuliform, indigo-blue with a silvery-gray luster, zonate, especially on the margin, sometimes spotted, becoming paler and less distinctly zonate with age or in drying. Gills close, indigo-blue, becoming yellowish and sometimes greenish with age. Stem 1–2 in. long, 6–10 lines thick, short nearly equal, hollow, often spotted with blue, colored like the pileus. Milk dark-blue.
Dry places, especially under or near pine trees. Not rare but seldom abundant. July to September. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores subglobose, 7.6–9µ long Peck.
West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Solitary and in groups, in pine and mixed woods. July to September. McIlvaine.
The exceptional color of L. indigo will halt anyone with ordinary observing power. It is unnecessary to describe it further. Being a large, stout plant it frequently lifts the leaf mat as it pushes upward, making leaf-mounds under which it is hidden, as do many of the Cortinarii. But even in such instances there are usually a few solitary plants standing prominently forth as sentinels.
It is edible, but coarse. Good flavor.
L. chelido´nium Pk. Pileus 2–3 in. broad, at first convex, then nearly plane and umbilicate or centrally depressed, grayish-yellow or tawny, at length varied with bluish and greenish stains, often with a few narrow zones on the margin. Gills narrow, close, sometimes forked, anastomosing or wavy at the base, grayish-yellow. Stem 1–1.5 in. long, 4–6 lines thick, short, subequal, hollow, colored like the pileus. Spores globose, 7.5µ. Milk sparse, saffron-yellow; taste mild.
Sandy soil, under or near pine trees. Saratoga and Bethlehem.
The milk of this species resembles in color the juice of celandine, Chelidonium majus. It is paler than that of L. deliciosus. By this character and by the dull color of the pileus, the narrow lamellæ, short stem and its fondness for dry situations, it may be separated from the other species. Wounds of the flesh are at first stained with the color of the milk, then with blue, finally with green. A saffron-color is sometimes attributed to the milk of L. deliciosus, which may indicate that this species has been confused with that, or that the relationship of the two plants is a closer one than we have assigned to them. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa. In mixed woods, gravelly low ground. September, October. McIlvaine.
A score or more solitary specimens were found and eaten. The substance and flavor are not distinguishable from L. deliciosus, which is lauded to the summit of good toadstools.
L. subpurpu´reus Pk.—sub, under; purpureus, purple. Pileus at first convex, then nearly plane or subinfundibuliform, more or less spotted and zonate when young, and moist dark-red with a grayish luster. Gills close, dark-red, becoming less clear and sometimes greenish-stained with age. Stem equal or slightly tapering upward, soon hollow, often spotted with red, colored like the pileus, sometimes hairy at the base. Spores subglobose, 9–10µ. Milk dark-red.
Pileus 2–3 in. broad. Stem 1.5–3 in. long, 3–5 lines thick.
Damp or mossy ground in woods and swamps. July and August.
At once known by the peculiar dark-red or purplish hue of the milk, which color also appears in the spots of the stem and in a more subdued tone in the whole plant. The color of the pileus, gills and stem is modified by grayish and yellowish hues. In age and dryness the zones are less clear, and dried specimens can scarcely be distinguished from L. deliciosus. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I have not seen this species.
L. pal´lidus Fr.—pale. Pileus 3–6 in. broad, flesh-color or clay-color to pallid, somewhat tan, fleshy, umbilicato-convex, depressed, obtuse, margin broadly and for a long time involute, smooth, gluey, zoneless. Flesh pallid. Stem 2 in. and more long, about ¾ in. thick, somewhat equal, stuffed then hollow, even, smooth, of the same color as the pileus. Gills somewhat decurrent, arcuate, rather broad, 1½-2 lines and more; somewhat thin, crowded, somewhat branched, whitish at length of the same color as the pileus. Milk white, unchangeable. Fries.
Taste somewhat mild. Stature that of L. deliciosus, but more lax in texture and always pallid. There is a variety with the pileus inclining to dingy-brown. Stevenson.
Mixed woods. September to October.
Spores echinulate, almost round, 8µ W.G.S.; 7–11µ Cooke; 9–10×7–8µ Massee.
North Carolina, Schweinitz, Curtis; Massachusetts, Frost; Minnesota, Johnson; Rhode Island, Bennett.
Edible. Cooke.
L. quie´tus Fr.—calm, mild. Pileus 3 in. broad, fleshy, depressed, obtuse, margin deflexed, smooth, at first viscid, somewhat cinnamon, flesh-color, disk darker, somewhat zoned, soon dry, somewhat silky, opaque, becoming pale. Flesh white then reddish. Stem 2–3 in. long, ½ in. and more thick, stuffed, spongy, smooth, reddish, at length beautifully rust-color. Gills adnato-decurrent, somewhat forked at the base, 1½-2 lines broad, white then soon brick-red. Milk white, unchangeable, sweet. Fries.
In woods. August to November. Stevenson.
Spores echinulate, 8–10×6–7µ Massee; 10–12µ Cooke.
Nova Scotia, Somers; New York, Peck, Rep. 42.
Edible. Cooke. Eaten in France and held in estimation.
L. theio´galus Fr. Gr—brimstone; milk. Pileus 2–5 in. broad, fleshy, thin, convex, then depressed, even, glabrous, viscid, tawny-reddish. Lamellæ adnate or decurrent, close, pallid or reddish. Stem 1–3 in. long, 4–10 lines thick, stuffed or hollow, even, colored like the pileus. Spores yellowish, inclining to pale flesh-color, subglobose, 7.5–9µ. Milk white, changing to sulphur-yellow, taste tardily acrid, bitterish.
Woods and groves. Common. July to October.
Our plant does not fully accord with the description of the species as given by Fries. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores subglobose, 7–8µ diameter Massee; subglobose, 7.5–9µ Peck.
West Virginia, 1881–1885; Mt. Gretna, Pa. July, 1897; New Jersey, common in mixed woods. July to frost. McIlvaine.
L. theiogalus possesses all the good qualities of the hot milk species. While I ate it whenever I chose in West Virginia, I did not again eat it until 1897 at Mt. Gretna. There several partook of it and thought it rather coarse, but of good flavor. It requires long cooking.
L. fuligino´sus Fr.—fuligo, soot. Pileus 1–2.5 in. broad, firm, becoming soft, convex plane or slightly depressed, even, dry, zoneless, dingy ash-color or buff-gray, appearing as if covered with a dingy pruinosity, the margin sometimes wavy or lobed. Gills adnate or subdecurrent, subdistant, whitish then yellowish, becoming stained with pink-red or salmon-color where wounded. Stem 1–2 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, equal or slightly tapering downward, firm, stuffed, colored like the pileus. Spores globose, yellowish, 7.5–10µ. Milk white, taste tardily and sometimes slightly acrid.
Thin woods and open grassy places. Greenbush and Sandlake, N.Y. July and August. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
A form with the pileus colored like that of L. lignyotus, but with the gills much closer than in that species, was found in a swamp near Sevey. July. Peck, 43d Rep.
POISONOUS. Barla and Reveil, Cordier.
L. fumo´sus Pk. Pileus 1.5–2.5 in. broad, firm, convex, then expanded and slightly depressed in the center, smooth, dry, smoky-brown or sordid-white. Gills close, adnate or slightly rounded behind, white, then yellowish. Stem 3–5 lines thick, firm, short, smooth, stuffed, generally tapering downward. Spores distinctly echinulate, yellow, 6µ in diameter. Flesh and Milk white; taste at first mild, then acrid.
Plant 1.5–2 in. high.
Grassy ground in open woods. Greenbush. July.
The peculiar smoky hue of the pileus and yellow spores enable this species to be easily recognized. The flesh when wounded slowly changes to a dull pinkish-color. Related to L. fuliginosus. Peck, 24th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
L. ru´fus Fr.—red. Pileus 2–4 in. broad, convex and centrally depressed, then funnel-shaped, generally with a small umbo, glabrous, sometimes slightly floccose or pubescent when young, especially on the margin, zoneless, bay-red or brownish-red, shining. Gills narrow or moderately broad, sometimes forked, close, subdecurrent, yellowish or reddish. Stem 2–4 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, nearly equal, firm, stuffed, paler than or colored like the pileus. Spores white, 7.6–10µ. Milk white, taste very acrid.
Low woods and swamps. North Elba. August. Rare.
The red Lactarius is known by its rather large size, dark-red pileus and intensely acrid taste. It has been found but once in our state. The flesh is pinkish and the stem sometimes pruinose. It is designated by authors as very poisonous and extremely poisonous. Cordier even says that worms never attack it. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Massachusetts, Frost; New York, Peck, Rep. 23, Rep. 38.
I have not recognized this species. It is given as markedly POISONOUS.
L. glycios´mus Fr. Gr—sweet; Gr—scent. Pileus ½-1½ in. broad, thin, convex nearly plane or depressed, often with a small umbo or papilla, minutely squamulose, ash-colored, grayish-brown or smoky-brown, sometimes tinged with pink, the margin even or slightly and distinctly striate. Gills narrow, close, adnate or decurrent, whitish or yellowish. Stem ½-1½ in. long, 1–3 lines thick, equal, glabrous or obsoletely pubescent, stuffed, rarely hollow, whitish or colored like the pileus. Milk white, taste acrid and unpleasant, sometimes bitterish, odor aromatic. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Smell agreeable, of melilot, as that of L. camphoratus.
Spores spheroid, echinulate, 6–8µ K.; subglobose, size variable, 6–10µ Massee.
The American plant, so far as observed, does not have the red hues ascribed to the European.
Haddonfield, N.J., T.J. Collins; Scranton, Pa., Dr. J.M. Phillips; Chester county, Pa., September, 1887, on ground in woods, McIlvaine.
This small Lactarius was found on several occasions. Its odor is attractive, but its taste is not. Cooked it is of high flavor, but will not be liked by many.
L. aqui´fluus Pk.—watery. Pileus fragile, fleshy, convex or expanded, at length centrally depressed, dry, smooth, or sometimes appearing as if clothed with a minute appressed tomentum, reddish tan-colored, the decurved margin often flexuous. Gills rather narrow, close, whitish, becoming dull reddish yellow. Stem more or less elongated, equal or slightly tapering upward, colored like the pileus, smooth, hollow, the cavity irregular as if eroded. Spores subglobose, rough, 7.6µ. Flesh colored like the pileus. Milk sparse, watery.
Plant 3–8 in. high. Pileus 3–6 in. broad. Stem 5–10 lines thick.
Swamps and wet mossy places in woods. Sandlake and North Elba. August and September.
The relationship of this plant is with L. serifluus, to which it was formerly referred, but from which I am now satisfied it is distinct. The hollow stem is a constant character in our plant, and affords a ready mark of distinction. The plant, though large, is very fragile, and breaks easily. The taste is mild or but slightly acrid. Sometimes there is an obscure zonation on the pileus, which, in large specimens, is apt to be irregular and much worm-eaten. The milk looks like little drops of water when first issuing from a wound, but it becomes a little less clear on exposure to the atmosphere. The decided but agreeable odor of the dried specimens persists a long time. Peck, 28th Rep.
This plant is sometimes cespitose. The pileus when dry is tawny-gray and scaly or cracked scaly. The margin may be even or coarsely sulcate-striate. The flesh is grayish or reddish-gray. The color of the lamellæ varies from creamy-white to tawny-yellow. The stem often has a conspicuous white myceloid tomentum at its base. I have never found this plant with a white or milky juice, and therefore I am disposed to regard it not as a variety of L. helvus, but as a distinct species. Its mild taste and agreeable odor suggested a trial of its edible qualities. It is harmless, but the lack of flavor induces me to omit it from the list of edible species. Peck, 50th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Var. brevis´simus Pk. Pileus 1–1.5 in. broad, grayish-buff. Gills crowded, adnate, yellowish or cream-color. Stem very short, 6–8 lines long.
Black mucky soil in roads in woods. Township 24, Franklin county. September.
Plant fragrant; sometimes cespitose. Peck, 51st Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Angora, West Philadelphia, in moist oak woods. August, 1897, Philadelphia Myc. Center.
Flesh rather hard when cooked, and insipid. Good as an absorbent or in emergency.
L. lignyo´tus Fr.—lignum, wood. Pileus 1–4 in. broad, broadly convex plane or slightly depressed, dry, with or without a small umbo, generally rugose-wrinkled, dark-brown, appearing subpulverulent or as if suffused with a dingy pruinosity, the margin sometimes crenately lobed and distinctly plicate. Gills moderately close or subdistant, adnate, white or yellowish, slowly changing to pinkish-red or salmon color where wounded. Stem 1–3 in. long, 2–6 lines thick, equal or abruptly narrowed at the apex, even, glabrous, stuffed, colored like the pileus, sometimes plicate at the top. Milk white, taste mild or tardily and slightly acrid.
Var. tenu´ipes. Pileus about 1 in. broad. Stem slender, 2–3 in. long and about 2 lines thick.
Wet or mossy ground in woods and swamps. Adirondack mountains and Sandlake. July and August. Not rare in hilly and mountainous districts. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores globose, yellowish, 9–11.3µ Peck; pale ochraceous, subglobose, minutely echinulate, 9–10µ diameter Massee.
West Virginia mountains, 1881–1885; Eagle’s Mere; Mt. Gretna, Pa. Solitary and gregarious, moist woods and wooded places. July to September. McIlvaine.
In my long experience with the plant I have not seen any change of color, save that, like the white milk of other species, it darkens slightly to a cream color. I have found it distinctly umbilicate and quite umbonate in the same patch.
L. lignyotus is one of the best of Lactarii and quite equal to L. volemus.
L. corru´gis Pk.—having wrinkles or folds. Pileus 3–5 in. broad, firm, convex, then nearly plane or centrally depressed, rugose reticulated, covered with a velvety pruinosity or pubescence, dark reddish-brown or chestnut-color, fading with age to tawny-brown. Gills close, dark cream-color or subcinnamon, becoming paler when old, sordid or brownish where bruised or wounded. Stem 3–5 in. long, 6–12 lines thick, equal, solid, glabrous or merely pruinose, paler than but similar in color to the pileus. Spores subglobose, 10–13µ. Milk copious, white, taste mild.
Thin woods. Sandlake, Gansevoort and Brewerton, N.Y. August and September.
This curious Lactarius is related to L. volemus, from which it may be separated by its darker colors and its corrugated pileus. The flexuous reticulated rugæ present an appearance similar to that of the hymenium of a Merulius. The pileus is everywhere pruinose-pubescent and the gills bear numerous spine-like or acicular cystidia or spicules, 4–5µ long. These are so numerous on and near the edges of the gills that they give them a pubescent appearance. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
I found many at Mt. Gretna, Pa., up to 6½ in. in diameter. Flesh not so firm as L. volemus. Stem equal, rugulose, flattened in old specimens. Milk very slightly acrid.
Better in taste and quality than L. volemus.
L. lute´olus Pk.—yellowish. Pileus 2–3 in. broad, fleshy, rather thin, convex or nearly plane, commonly umbilicately depressed in the center and somewhat rugulose, pruinose or subglabrous, buff-color. Flesh white, taste mild. Milk copious, flowing easily, white or whitish. Gills close, nearly plane, adnate or slightly rounded behind, whitish, becoming brownish where wounded. Stem 1–1.5 in. long, 3–5 lines thick, short, equal or tapering downward, solid, but somewhat spongy within, colored like the pileus. Spores globose, 7.6µ broad.
Dry woods. East Milton, Mass. August. H. Webster.
This species is related to Lactarius volemus and L. hygrophoroides, but its smaller size and short stem will distinguish it from the former and its close gills from the latter. Its paler buff-color will separate it from both. Some specimens have a narrow encircling furrow or depressed zone near the margin and a slightly darker shade of color on the margin. The milk constitutes a remarkable feature of the species. According to the notes of the collector it is exceedingly copious, rather sticky, serous in character with white particles in suspension. It flows from many points as soon as the plant is disturbed and it stains the gills. It is impossible to collect an unstained specimen, so free is the flow of the milk. He, Mr. Webster, says: “I have never succeeded in picking a specimen so quietly as to prevent an instant and copious flow of its milk.” Torrey Bull., Vol. 23, No. 10, 1896.
Angora, West Philadelphia, August, 1897. In oak woods. August, September. McIlvaine.
Quite frequent there. My attention was directed to it by the “narrow encircling furrow or depressed zone near the margin.”
It is of like quality to L. volemus.
L. Gerar´dii Pk. Pileus 1.5–4 in. broad, broadly convex plane or slightly depressed, dry, generally rugose-wrinkled, with or without a small umbo or papilla, dingy-brown, the thin spreading margin sometimes flexuous lobed or irregular. Gills distant, adnate or decurrent, white or whitish, the interspaces generally uneven. Stem 1–2 in. long, 3–6 lines thick, subequal, stuffed or hollow, colored like the pileus. Spores globose, white, 9–11.3µ. Milk white, unchangeable, taste mild.
Woods and open places. Poughkeepsie, W.R. Gerard. Greenbush, Sandlake and Croghan, N.Y. July to September.
This Lactarius closely resembles the Sooty lactarius in color, but differs from it in its more distant gills, white spores and constantly mild taste. Wounds of the flesh and gills do not become pinkish-red as in that plant. From L. hygrophoroides its darker color, hollow stem and more globose rougher spores separate it. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
In the color of the pileus and stem this species is like the larger forms of L. fuliginosus. Peck, 26th Rep.
Edible. Boston Myc. Club Bull.
L. vole´mus Fr.—volema pira, a kind of large pear. (Plate XLI, fig. 4, p. 160) Pileus 2–5 in. broad, firm, convex, nearly plane or centrally depressed, rarely funnel-shaped, sometimes with a small umbo, generally even, glabrous, dry, golden-tawny or brownish-orange, sometimes darker in the center, often becoming rimose-areolate. Gills close, adnate or subdecurrent, white or yellowish, becoming sordid or brownish where bruised or wounded. Stem 1–4 in. long, 4–10 lines thick, subequal, variable in length, firm, solid, glabrous or merely pruinose, colored like the pileus, sometimes a little paler. Milk copious, white, taste mild, flat.
Var. subrugo´sus. Pileus rugose-reticulated on the margin. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Spores globose, white, 9–11.3µ Peck; 5–6µ diameter Massee.
Very delicious raw and celebrated from early times. Fries.
Common over the United States, well known everywhere and distinguished for its edible qualities. It is crisp and unless carefully cooked is hard and granular. It should have long, slow cooking, though it may be roasted or fried.
L. hygrophoroi´des B. and C.—resembling Hygrophorus. Pileus 1–4 in. broad, firm, convex or nearly plane, umbilicate or slightly depressed, rarely funnel-shaped, glabrous or sometimes with a minute velvety pubescence or tomentum, dry, sometimes rugose-wrinkled and often becoming cracked in areas, yellowish-tawny or brownish-orange. Gills distant, adnate or subdecurrent, white or cream-color, the interspaces uneven or venose. Stem .5–1 in. long, 4–8 lines thick, short, equal or tapering downward, solid, glabrous or merely pruinose, colored like the pileus. Spores subglobose or broadly elliptical, nearly smooth, 9–11.3µ. Milk white, taste mild.
Grassy ground and borders of woods. Albany, Greenbush and Sandlake. July and August.
This plant has almost exactly the color of L. volemus, but differs from it in its distant gills, short stem, less copious milk and less globose spores. Its flesh is white, with a thickness about equal to the breadth of the gills. It is probably edible, but has not yet been tested. The typical L. hygrophoroides is described as having the pileus yellowish-red and pulverulent, and the gills luteous. It is also represented as a small plant; but our specimens, while not fully agreeing with this description, approach so closely to it in some of their forms that they doubtless belong to the same species. We have therefore extended the description so that it may include our plant. In wet weather the pileus sometimes becomes funnel-form by the elevation of the margin. Peck, 38th Rep. N.Y. State Bot.
Mt. Gretna, Pa., 1897, grassy grounds and borders of woods. Mixed, moist woods and grassy borders. July to September. McIlvaine.
Pileus up to 4 in. across. Stem 1–2½ in., tapering, equal or tapering downward. When growing in woods the stem is longer than when growing on borders.
Its edible qualities are excellent.
L. mitis´simus Fr.—mitis, mild. Pileus 1–3 in. broad, golden-tawny, zoneless, fleshy, thin, somewhat rigid, convex, papillate, depressed, papilla vanishing, even, smooth, somewhat slippery when moist. Flesh pallid. Stem elongated, 1–3 in. long, ⅓-½ in. thick, stuffed, then hollow, even, smooth, of the same color as the pileus. Gills adnato-decurrent, somewhat arcuate, then tense and straight, 1–1½ lines and more broad, thin, crowded, a little paler than the pileus, most frequently stained with minute red spots. Milk white, mild, plentiful.
Thin; very much allied to L. subdulcis, but distinguished by the taste being mild, then somewhat bitterish, and especially by the bright, golden-tawny, resplendent color of the pileus and stem. Fries.
In mixed and pine woods. August to November. Stevenson.
Spores 6–8×5–6µ Massee; 10µ Cooke; spheroid, echinulate, 6–7µ C.B.P.
California, H. and M.
Edible. Cooke. Eaten on the continent.