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LACTARIUS
tawny reddish or fulvous, glabrous, viscid when moist, somewhat or not at all
zoned, margin inrolled at first, then spreading, flesh fairly thick, white, stain-
ing yellow from the latex, odor strong and pungent, latex at first white,
changing to sulphur yellow, slowly acrid, sometimes bitter at first, lamellae
adnate to slightly decurrent, close, rather narrow, whitish to yellowish, becom-
ing reddish brown in age or when bruised, some forked near the stipe, stipe
1-3 in. long, ^4-1/4 in. thick, equal, glabrous to shghtly hairy at base, con-
colorous with pileus or paler, stuffed, becoming hollow, spores broadly ellip-
soid to subglobose, 6-9 X 5-7 /z, ornamented with fairly high spines and warts
which may be separate, or form short ridges, or be joined by bands or lines to
form a partial reticulum.
It grows on the ground, usually in coniferous woods. July-Oct.
This reddish species with bitter to acrid, white latex that very quickly
changes to bright yellow is fairly common. There has been some doubt as to
whether it should be referred to L. chrysorheus or L. theiogalus Fr. According
to recent illustrations by Wakefield and Dennis (1950) and Neuhoff (1956)
L. theiogalus is a smaller and more reddish brown fungus.
LACTARIUS CINEREUS Peck Not recommended
Figure 56, page 26
PILEUS %-2i/2 in. broad, at first convex, umbiHcate, becoming expanded
and depressed to infundibuliform, ashy gray, darker in the center, glabrous,
viscid, not zoned or occasionally slightly so, margin at first inrolled, then
spreading, flesh thin, white, latex white, unchanging, acrid, lamellae
adnate, close, narrow, white, some forking near the stipe, not becoming
spotted from bruising, stipe 1-2 in. long, V^-V?, in. thick, equal or tapering
upward, glabrous, tomentose at base, concolorous with the pileus, spongy,
becoming hollow, spores white, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 6-8 X 5-6 /x,
ornamented with separate or more or less confluent warts, and a few lines but
scarcely reticulate.
In groups on the ground in mixed woods. July-Sept.
There are several grayish species with acrid latex that are not easy to
separate. In L. cinereus the lamellae do not become spotted or stained from
bruising, and the spore deposit is white. L. trivialis (Fr. ex Fr.) Fr. has a
yellowish spore deposit, and the lamellae become stained grayish green to
brownish. The lamellae also become stained in L. varius Peck, L. mucidus
Burl., and L. parvus Peck. The latter is a small species with spores about the
size of those in L. cinereus, but the pileus is soon dry. L. varius and L. mucidus
have large spores, about 8-10 /x long, but diff^er from each other in the structure
of the cuticle of the pileus. In L. mucidus the cuticle is composed of elongated,
very gelatinous hyphae and is very viscid, whereas in L. varius the cuticle is
composed of interwoven, subgelatinous hyphae and is soon dry. These species
are not recommended as food.
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