Lactarius deliciosus

Lactarius deliciosus
Mycological characteristics
	gills on hymenium
	cap is depressed
	hymenium is decurrent
	stipe is bare
	spore print is tan
	ecology is mycorrhizal
	edibility: choice

Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the Saffron milk cap, Red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. It is found in Europe and has been accidentally introduced to other countries under conifers and can be found growing in pine plantations. Michael Kuo, primary founder of the MushroomExpert website, cites Belgian mycologist Jorinde Nuytinck who determined that the mushroom is a "genetically, morphologically, and ecologically distinct European species that does not occur in North America".^[1]

A fresco in the Roman town of Herculaneum appears to depict Lactarius deliciosus and is one of the earliest pieces of art to illustrate a fungus.^[2]

When grown in liquid culture, the mycelium of this fungus produces a mixture of fatty acids and various compounds such as chroman-4-one, Anofinic acid, 3-hydroxyacetylindole, ergosterol, and cyclic dipeptides.^[3]

Taxonomy

This was known to Linnaeus who officially described it in Volume Two of his Species Plantarum in 1753, giving it the name Agaricus deliciosus,^[4] the specific epithet deriving from Latin deliciosus meaning "tasty".^[5] The Swedish taxonomist allegedly gave the species its epithet after smelling it and presuming it tasted as good as a Mediterranean milk cap highly regarded for its flavor.^[6] Dutch mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon added the varietal epithet lactifluus in 1801, before English mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray placed it in its current genus Lactarius in 1821 in his The Natural Arrangement of British Plants.^[7]

It is commonly known as saffron milk-cap, red pine mushroom, or simply pine mushroom in English. Its Catalan name is rovelló (pl. rovellons) while its Castilian name varies (níscalo, mízcalo...).^[8] An alternate North American name is orange latex milky.^[9] Both this and Lactarius deterrimus are known as Çam melkisi or Çintar in Turkey.^[10][11]

In the Girona area, this type of mushroom is called a pinatell (in Catalan) because it is collected near wild pine trees; they are typically harvested in October following the late August rain. Due to its scarcity it commands high prices.^{[citation needed]}

It is known as Rascovi in Romania and it can be found in the Northern area in autumn season.

Description

Lactarius deliciosus has a carrot orange cap which is convex to vase shaped, inrolled when young, 4 to 14 cm (1.5–7 in) across, often with darker orange lines in the form of concentric circles. The cap is sticky and viscid when wet, but is often dry. It has crowded decurrent gills and a squat orange stipe which is often hollow, 3 to 8 cm (1–3 in) long and 1 to 2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) thick. This mushroom stains a deep green color when handled. When fresh, the mushroom exudes an orange-red latex or "milk" that does not change color.

In North America, this mushroom is often confused with Lactarius rubrilacteus which stains blue, exudes a red latex, and is also edible.

Distribution and habitat

Lactarius deliciosus grows under the acidic soil of conifers and forms a mycorrhizal relationship with its host tree. It is native to the southern Pyrenees where it grows under Mediterranean pines. Both this fungus and L. deterrimus are collected and sold in the İzmir Province of southwestern Turkey, and the Antalya Province of the south coast.^[10][11]

It has been introduced to Chile, Australia and New Zealand, where it grows in Pinus radiata plantations. A very popular place for collecting this mushroom, especially among the Polish community, is in the Oberon area in New South Wales, Australia, where they can grow to the size of a dinner plate. Many people of Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and other eastern European ancestry in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia travel to collect these mushrooms after autumn rainfall around Easter time. In Cyprus it is found in the pine forests where many people "hunt" them with vigour. It is considered as one of the local delicacies.

Edibility

Lactarius deliciosus is a widely collected mushroom in the Southern Pyrenees and Majorca and used in Spanish Cuisine. One recipe recommends they should be lightly washed, fried whole cap down in olive oil with a small amount of garlic and served drenched in raw olive oil and parsley. The same recipe advised that butter should never be used when cooking this mushroom.

Further north and east it is a feature of Provençal cuisine.^[12]

They are also collected in Poland, where they are traditionally served fried in butter, with cream, or marinated.

In Russian cuisine these mushrooms are prepared with pickling and then eaten with sour cream.

They are also well known in Cyprus, where they are usually cooked on charcoal and marinated with olive oil and lemon, or fried with onions with red wine.

In some older guides, the saffron milk cap is considered an excellent mushroom, having 'a crisp texture'. In fact, when naming the mushroom (deliciosus = delicious), the mycologist had mistaken the mushroom with Lactarius sanguifluus, which is an excellent, pleasantly crunchy mushroom. Today, most mycologists hold Lactarius sanguifluus in higher esteem than its pretender, Lactarius deliciosus.

See also

• List of Lactarius species

References

Cited texts

• Bessette AR, Bessette A, Harris DM. (2009). Milk Mushrooms of North America: A Field Guide to the Genus Lactarius. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. pp. 177–78. ISBN 0-8156-3229-0. 
• Hesler LR, Smith AH. (1979). North American Species of Lactarius. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08440-2. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lactarius deliciosus.

• Lactarius deliciosus in Index Fungorum.