| Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored > Lactarius > Lactarius volemus |
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Lactarius volemus [ Basidiomycetes > Russulales > Russulaceae > Lactarius . . . ] by Michael Kuo Lactarius volemus is an attractive mushroom, fairly easily recognized by its brownish orange colorations, its white milk--which stains paper, your hands, and everything in sight brown--and its tendency to develop a fishy odor that increases in fishiness over time after the mushroom has been picked. Its cap is smooth or only slightly wrinkled, separating it from the similar Lactarius corrugis (which lacks the fishy odor). Lactarius hygrophoroides is similar in appearance, but has distant gills and non-staining milk (see the linked page for a photo comparison of the two species). Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods and perhaps with conifers; growing alone or scattered; summer and fall; widely distributed in eastern North America. Cap: 5-13 cm; at first convex, with an inrolled margin; becoming flat, with a central depression, shallowly vase-shaped, or (rarely) with a slight bump over the disc, the margin even; smooth or slightly wrinkled; brownish orange, orangish brown, or sometimes lighter (see note below); typically without distinct zones of color, but often darker towards the center. Gills: Attached to the stem or running slightly down it; close; creamy white; discoloring brown when injured; often forking near the margin. Stem: 5-10 cm long; .5-2 cm thick; colored like the cap or paler; equal or tapering to base; smooth; sometimes vaguely "ribbed" longitudinally; solid or hollowing somewhat. Flesh: White; eventually staining brown when cut. Milk: White; copious; sometimes becoming brownish on exposure to air, but always staining tissues brown. Odor and Taste: Odor rather fishy (like a dead shad, which anglers will tell you is probably the most malodorous freshwater fish); taste mild. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 7.5-9.5 x 7.5-8.5 µ; more or less round; reticulate; prominences 0.4-1.0 µ high. The description above applies to Lactarius volemus var. volemus. Hesler and Smith (1979; links below) describe var. flavus as a southern variety with a yellow cap and slightly smaller spores. They also indicate the likelihood that Lactarius volemus intergrades with Lactarius corrugis; mushrooms may be collected that combine the features of these two species. REFERENCES: (Fries, 1821) Fries, 1838. (Saccardo, 1887; Coker, 1918; Kauffman, 1918; Hesler & Smith, 1979; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1979; Weber & Smith, 1985; Arora, 1986; Heilmann-Clausen et al., 1998; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Metzler & Metzler, 1992; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006; Miller & Miller, 2006; Kuo, 2007.) Herb. Kuo 06239510, 08240203, 07180707. Further Online Information: Lactarius volemus var. volemus in Hesler & Smith (1979) |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2002, August). Lactarius volemus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_volemus.html |