Lactarius vellereus

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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 var. vellereus (1838)
Galorrheus vellereus (Fr.) P.Kumm. (1871)
Lactifluus vellereus (Fr.) Kuntze (1891)

Lactarius vellereus
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list 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.

Description

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]

Distribution and habitat

L. vellereus growing in a field.

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]

Edibility

The milk tastes mild on its own, but hot when tasted with the flesh.[3] It is considered inedible because of its peppery taste.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lactarius vellereus.

References

  1. ↑ "Lactarius vellereus (Fr.) Fr. 1838". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
  2. ↑ Thomas Laessoe (1998). Mushrooms (flexi bound). Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-1070-0. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Roger Phillips (2006). Mushrooms. Pan MacMillan. ISBN 0-330-44237-6. 
  4. ↑ David Arora (1986). Mushrooms Demystified. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 0-89815-169-4. 
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