Walking the thin line between Russula and Lactarius: the dilemma of Russula subsect. New or noteworthy species of Russula and Lactaria. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club 14: 1–109.īurlingham, G. A study of the Lactariae of the United States. Notes on Lactarius in the high-elevation forests of the southern Appalachians. Milk Mushrooms of North America: A Field Identification Guide to the Genus Lactarius. Interesting species of Lactariae from Florida. Mushroom sequestrate (either truffle-like and growing partially to completely underground, or more or less mushroomlike but with gills poorly formed). An extensive references list follows the key. Many North American species not belonging to these groups remain untreated. It currently treats some of the trufflelike and "malformed" species (formerly and in some cases currently known as species of Arcangeliella and Zelleromyces) the species with colored milk (section Deliciosi) the small group of funky species centered around Lactarius sordidus and those species possessing milk that turns yellow on exposure to air, or stains surfaces purple (not natural groups of related species, but handy groupings for identification). NOTE: This key is incomplete it is a work in progress. (Incomplete) Key to 75+ North American Milky Caps I suspect that specific mycorrhizal association will eventually turn out to be much more important in milky cap identification than it has been in the past I recommend that anyone collecting Lactarius and Lactifluus specimens for scientific study take pains to thoroughly document the trees and woody plants in the collection site (see this page for help with this effort). Stubbe and collaborators, 2010, who studied the species complex around Lactifluus gerardii), DNA results support the idea that there may be many cryptic species in the genus, currently hiding out in species concepts that are too broad-cryptic species that cannot always be distinguished on the basis of morphology! The bulk of the milky caps, however, remain to be studied with contemporary methods. Microscopic features used in milky cap identification include spore morphology (for which mounting in Melzer's reagent is required, in order to assess the amyloid ornamentation of the spores), and the anatomy of the hymenial cystidia and pileipellis (both of which are best assessed in a KOH mount).Ĭontemporary studies, armed with evidence from DNA analysis, have begun to elucidate the murky picture of North American milky cap species previously painted with morphological analysis in particular, the species with colored milk (forming section Deliciosi) have been recently investigated and described (Nuytinck and collaborators, 2006). Patience is often required to observe staining, however, since reactions can take up to an hour or more to develop. Slice your milky cap in half and damage the gills with your knife point in order to observe the milk and any staining reactions. Additionally, the milk frequently stains the gills or flesh of the mushroom, and the color of staining reactions can be critical to identification. Especially important in traditional milky cap identification is the color of the milk, and any color changes in the milk after it is exposed to air. "Lactariologists" have developed a suite of characters that are used in milky cap identification-but many of these characters demonstrate considerable variability, so you will definitely need to collect several fresh mushrooms, representing different stages of development, to get very far in identifying most of these mushrooms. Over 200 species have been described from North America, and the reigning monograph (Hesler & Smith, 1979) is a bear to work with. Identification of milky caps ranges from very easy to very difficult. Many species (though certainly not all) have caps that feature concentric zones of color, and many have caps and/or stems that feature tiny potholes ("scrobiculi" in Mycologese). A few mushrooms in other genera exude a juice (for example, Mycena haematopus) but most of these lack the other features that help to define the milky caps: crumbly flesh, like the flesh of russulas (to which milky caps are closely related) and caps that are often about as wide as the mushroom is tall. In other species the milk can be scanty to almost nonexistent-especially in older specimens that have grown in dry weather. In some species the milk is copious, and it almost seems to pour out of the mushroom when you slice it or damage the gills. The milky caps, mushrooms in the genera Lactarius and Lactifluus, make up a large group of mycorrhizal mushrooms that exude a "latex," or milk, when injured. Lactarius (MushroomExpert.Com) Major Groups > Gilled Mushrooms > Pale-Spored> > Milky Caps
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