| Lactarius vellereus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Russulales |
| Family: | Russulaceae |
| Genus: | Lactarius |
| Species: | L. vellereus |
| Binomial name | |
| Lactarius vellereus (Fr.) Fr. (1838) |
|
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Agaricus vellereus Fr. (1821) |
|
| Lactarius vellereus | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
| gills on hymenium | |
| cap is depressed | |
| hymenium is decurrent | |
| stipe is bare | |
| spore print is white | |
| ecology is mycorrhizal | |
| edibility: inedible | |
Lactarius vellereus, commonly known as the fleecy milk-cap, is a very large fungus in the milk-cap genus Lactarius. It is one of the two most common milk-caps found with beech trees, with the other being L. subdulcis.
Contents |
Like other mushrooms in the Lactarius genus, the L. vellereus fruit body has crumbly, rather than fibrous, flesh, and when this is broken the fungus exudes a milky latex. The mature caps are white to cream, funnel-shaped, and up to 25 cm (9.8 in) in diameter. It has firm flesh, and a stipe which is shorter than the fruit body is wide. The gills are fairly distant (quite far apart), decurrent, and narrow, and have brown specks from the drying milk.[2] The spore print is white in colour.[3]
It is similar in appearance to Lactarius controversus Pers., distinguishable mainly by its white gills and lack of rosy markings on the upper cap. Lactarius bertillonii (Z.Schaef.) Bon. is similar, but has hotter milk.[3]
The mushroom is found in deciduous woods, from late summer to early winter.[3] Being found in Britain and Europe. David Arora makes no mention of it in Mushrooms Demystified, so it is probably absent from North America.[4]
The milk tastes mild on its own, but hot when tasted with the flesh.[3] It is considered inedible because of its peppery taste.