Lactarius pseudomucidus

Lactarius pseudomucidus
"Lactarius pseudomucidus" found in Mendocino, California
Lactarius pseudomucidus found in Mendocino, California
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Russulales
Family: Russulaceae
Genus: Lactarius
Species:
L. pseudomucidus
Binomial name
Lactarius pseudomucidus
A.H.Sm. & Hesler (1979)
Lactarius pseudomucidus
Mycological characteristics
Gills on hymenium
Cap is depressed
Hymenium is decurrent
Stipe is bare
Spore print is cream
Edibility is unknown

Lactarius pseudomucidus, commonly known as the slimy milk cap, is a mucilaginous species of fungus native to North America.

Description

It has a charcoal brown cap, smooth and slimy, from 2–10 centimetres (3⁄4–4 in) across, initially flat convex, becoming shallowly depressed. The gills are decurrent, white with a gray or yellow tinge, staining brownish. The stipe is 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) tall and 5–12 millimetres (1⁄4–1⁄2 in) thick; it is hollow and brittle. Both the cap and stipe are mucilaginous. The flesh is gray and the latex is milky white, drying yellowish. There is only a slight odor, and the taste slowly becomes acrid. Spores are white in mass, ellipsoid, amyloid, about 8 μm long, with a reticulate decoration on the surface. The spore print is cream.

The species is inedible, with the extremely viscid cap and stalk being deterrent.

Similar species

It resembles Lactarius argillaceifolius, which has a light orange-gray cap, and eastern North America's L. mucidus. Additionally, L. fumosus and Lactifluus gerardi bear similarities. Other Lactarius species with slippery, grayish caps are either zonate and/or the gills stain purple.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to northwestern North America, often found in coastal and conifer forests.

References

  1. 1 2 Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-89815-170-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
  4. ↑ Hesler, LR, & AH Smith. 1979. North American species of Lactarius. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  5. ↑ Smith, AH. 1975. Field guide to western mushrooms. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
  6. ↑ Phillips, Roger (2010) [2005]. Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
  7. ↑ Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.