#lactarius fungus

[its-kayyyy]

indigo milk cap (lactarius indigo)

note!! please do not pick and eat mushrooms by yourself! it is very easy to pick up the wrong mushroom and I could be poisonous!

the indigo milk cap is a bright blue colored mushroom that grows throughout north america, east asia, france, and central america.

this mushroom is edible. it has a bitter almost peppery taste to it, and the flesh of this mushroom is also very firm.

common places for this mushroom can be found are: gulf of mexico's coast, mexico, guatemala, along the appalachian mountain range, arizona, california, virginia, (one county in) texas, china, india, costa rica, and south france.

the indigo milk cap has a depressed cap, pretty tightly pack gills, and a square shaped stem. the flesh is also blue and once exposed to air for awhile will turn a greenish color. and the milk of the indigo milk cap tried a greenish color.

in early stages of life the indigo milk cap is wet and slimy but grow dry and brittle once the mushroom is established and older.

[soupandmushrooms]

Lactarius indigo

also known as the indigo milk cap, the blue milk mushroom and indigo milky.

It grows in North America, East Asia, and Central America. It also grows naturally in southern France!

Due to being a member of the lactarius genus it produces latex or “milk” when cut. The latex produced is indigo hence the name.

The species is however noted for not producing as much latex as other members of its genus.

Lactarius indigo is edible and reported to have a mild taste.

It is also one of my favourite mushrooms!

[oliviarosaline]

Indigo Milk Cap Mushroom

Lactarius indigo

These otherworldly deep indigo blue milkcaps contain a derivative of azulene. This pigment is also found in some species of soft corals throughout the oceans.

Edible (at your own risk). They have a mild taste to me and I prefer them sauteed.

Aug. 14th, 2023

St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I led a lovely afternoon guided nature tour at the Cutthroat Climb and Teal Slough trails at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge! It was a nice break from the mayhem of packing the moving truck with my furniture and whatever else we can fit in there. There's still a lot to be done, but we're making good progress, and will haul things to Portland Sunday. Wish us luck!

Also, I'd love to make some plans for some tours once I get settled in in PDX, so if you've been wanting to book me for a private tour, drop me a PM!

[mycoblogg]

Lactarius indigo?

FOTD #036 : indigo milky! (lactarius indigo)

the indigo milky (also called blue lactarius, indigo milk cap or blue milk mushroom) is a mycorrhizal mushroom in the family russulaceae. this mushroom is found across the US, mexico, china, india, costa rica & guatemala. it is famous for its blue, milk-like latex that seeps out when the gills are sliced !!

the big question : can i bite it?? yeah<3 this fungus is edible.

l. indigo description :

"the cap of the fruit body, measuring between 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) in diameter, is initially convex & later develops a central depression; in age it becomes even more deeply depressed, becoming somewhat funnel-shaped as the edge of the cap lifts upward. the cap surface is indigo blue when fresh, but fades to a paler grayish- or silvery-blue, sometimes with greenish splotches. it is often zonate: marked with concentric lines that form alternating pale & darker zones, & the cap may have dark blue spots, especially towards the edge. young caps are sticky to the touch. the flesh is pallid to bluish in color, slowly turning greenish after being exposed to air; its taste is mild to slightly acrid. the flesh of the entire mushroom is brittle. the latex exuded from injured tissue is indigo blue, & stains the wounded tissue greenish."

[images : source, source & source] [fungus description : source]

"thank you for the request !! i really love this one, but will likely never seen it in person. ^^" very beautiful mushroom."

[troll-skogur]

A bunch of Lactarius deliciosus among the snowy ferns.

Cooked lovely meals with those, yummy !

[haikuckuck]

Reizker,dieser wohl ein Fichtenreizker,nehme ich nie zu Speisezwecken,auch wegen der sehr grossen Ähnlichkeit der bitter und scharf schmeckenden Lactarius Arten zum Edelreizker.Milchbraetlinge sollen ja gebraten eine Delikatesse sein,ich vermute aber nur wegen einer raffinierten Würzmischung des Kochs....brauch ich nicht,wenn ich Steinpilze habe ..zb.

Ebenso lasse ich die Finger von Taeubling,Russula Arten!!

Entweder sie schmecken scharf und sind leicht giftig,nur durch GeschmacksTest eines kleinen Stückes vom Pilz vorab eruierbar und nicht anhand der Hutfarbe,oder sie schmecken mild .

Aber langweilig, uninteressant! Ohne Eigengeschmack.

Dito nehme ich nie Perlpilze!

Gestern hatte ich einen sehr ähnlichen, Potentiell tödlich giftigen Pantherpilz vor mir ,leider vergessen ihn zu fotografieren.

[forestofwonders]

Mushroom Shades of Grey on a Cozy Blue-Grey Background

A nature-inspired seamless pattern featuring a variety of mushrooms and lichens. The color scheme is designed in calm greyish tones - from soft to dark and from warm to cool ones.

Apparel, mugs, notebooks, decorative protection for gadgets, and many other wonderful items with this design are here: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/137287942

[theretobelived]

milkcap (most commonly lactarius) fungi exude a white latex when they are cut or bruised.

[dragonfang-photography]

Lactarius again, probably deliciosus this time.

[nomuscariahere]

Lactarius Subpurpureus - My first confirmed Lactarius, totally forgot to check for the forbidden milk.

[mycosprite]

Mushroom popularity contest gogogo

[lindagoesmushrooming]

Are there particular species of trees edible mushrooms like growing near? For example, the way truffles are generally found under oak trees? (I hope I got that right!)

Yes, you are right. A symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant is called mycorrhiza. Different mushroom species will choose different trees, however, the type of soil plays a big part, too, and not every species is super picky. Some will grow under/on both deciduous and coniferous trees.

Examples:

Boletus edulis - spruce.

Boletus pinophilus - pine.

Boletus reticulatus (syn. B. aestivalis) - oak trees.

Boletus projectellus (syn. Boletellus projectellus) / Aureoboletus projectellus) - pine.

Boletus betulicola/ B.edulis var. betulicola - birch trees.

Leccinum albostipitatum - aspen.

Leccinum aurantiacum - aspen.

Leccinum versipelle (syn. L. testaceoscabrum) - birches and spruce.

Leccinum duriusculum - birches and aspen.

Leccinum vulpinum - pine.

Leccinum melaneum (syn. L. roseofractum) - birch trees.

Leccinum variicolor - birch trees.

Leccinum niveum (syn. L.holopus) - birch trees.

Leccinum crocipodium (syn. Leccinellum crocipodium) - oak trees.

Leccinum scabrum f.oxydabile - birch trees.

Leccinum aurantiacum f.quercinum - oak trees.

Suillus granulatus - pines.

Suillus luteus - pines.

Suillus flavidus - pines.

Suillus grevillei - larches.

Suillus viscidus (syn. S.aeruginascens) - larches.

Suillus cavipes (syn. Boletinus cavipes) - larches.

Suillus variegatus - pines.

Suillus bovinus - pines.

Lactarius deliciosus - pines.

Lactarius deterrimus - spruce.

Lactarius trivialis - spruce and birches.

Lactarius camphoratus - spruce.

Lactarius torminosus - spruce and birches.

Lactarius scrobiculatus - spruce.

Lactarius necator (syn. Lactarius turpis) - spruce and birches.

Lepista nuda - spruce and linden trees.

Tricholomopsis rutilans - pine and spruce.

Cantharellus cibarius - spruce, pine or birch

Sarcodon squamosus - pine trees.

Gyromitra esculenta - pine trees.

Coprinus comatus - grasslands.

[theprinceofmycologia]

Mycological terms and practical vocabulary

I would recommend against reading all of this (except if you want to ofc), I made this post with the purpose of being able to look up what certain terms mean in my posts.

I have not yet used all of these terms, however I did think these were important terms. Whenever I use a new term in a post, I will add it to this list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A

acute - (refers to the shape) sharp

amyloid - turns blue, grey or black when stained with Meltzer’s reagent

annulus - ring of tissue on a mushroom stem left by a torn partial veil

ascomycetes - a class of fungi that produces their spores in sac-like cells called asci

B

basidiomycetes - a class of fungi that produce their spores on basidia

basidiospores - sexual spores produced on the basidia of basidiomycetes fungi

basidia - (sing. basidium) spore-producing cells of a basidiomycete fungus

biotrophic - feeding on living cells of other organisms

bulbous - (describes a stipe) with a swollen base

C

caespitose - crowded together in a tuft or a cluster but not attached to each other

caulocystidium - a cystidium on the stem of a mushroom

cheilocystidium - a cystidium on the edge of a mushroom gill

chlamydospores - asexual spores formed by the breaking up of fungal hyphae

clamp connection - swollen area formed around septum in a hypha during cell division

clavate - (often describes a stipe) club-shaped

coprophilous - growing on dung

cystidium - special sterile cell among the basidia on some fungi

D

deuteromycetes  - obsolete term for a group fungi not known to reproduce sexually

dextrinoid - staining brick red or brown with Meltzer’s reagent

dichotomous - forking/divided into pairs

dikaryon - a pair of closely associated, sexually compatible nuclei

E

ectomycorrhiza (EM) - where the fungus forms sheathes around plant rootlets (often of a tree), growing between but not penetrating the cells of the plant root, and providing the plant with water and nutrients while the plant supplies sugars to the fungus

endomycorrhiza - mycorrhiza in which fungal hyphae penetrate cell walls of host plant

endophyte - fungus living within a plant without causing visible symptoms of harm

F

foetid - with a strong and offensive odour

fusiform - (describes a stipe) spindle-shaped, tapering at top and bottom

G

gleba - spore-bearing tissue enclosed within fruitbodies of gasteromycetes

guttation - the exudation of water and some metabolic byproducts produced by fungal cells

guttule - a small oil-like drop microscopically visible inside a fungal spore

H

hirsute - hairy

hyaline - clear/colourless when viewed under a microscope

hymenium - fertile spore-bearing tissue (e.g. on mushroom gill or pore surfaces)

hypha - (pl. hyphae) filamentous thread of fungal mycelium

I

inamyloid - not changing colours with Melzer's reagent

L

lamellae - gills

latex - milky fluid that oozes from cut surfaces of Lactarius species

lichen - organism comprising a fungus and an alga or a cyanobacterium

lignicolous - growing on wood

M

monomitic - monomitic systems only have one type of hyphae: generative hyphae

mycelium - body of a fungus, most of which is underground or hidden within wood

mycobiont - the fungal component of a lichen or of a mycorrhizal partnership

mycorrhiza - structure by which a fungus and a plant exchange nutrients mutually

myxomycetes - a large and commonly encountered group within the slime moulds

N

necrotrophic - feeding by killing and consuming (part of) another organism

nonamyloid - not turning blue, grey or black when stained with Meltzer’s reagent

O

organelle - a differentiated structure within a cell

P

parasitism - process whereby an organism feeds at the expense of another (host)

partial veil - protective membrane covering gills during development of a fruitbody

pellicle - the outer layer of a mushroom, often viscid (sticky, gelatinous) and easily peels off

peridioles - egg-like spore capsules in bird’s-nest fungi (Nidulariaceae)

peridium - outer wall of a fungus, especially a gasteromycete (e.g. a puffball)

perithecium - flask-shaped chambers containing asci within pyrenomycetes fungi

photobiont - photosynthesizing component (alga or cyanobacterium) of a lichen

pileus - (pl. pilei) the cap on the top of a mushroom stem

pleurocystidium - a cystidium on a gill surface

pores - the orifices of the tubes of polypore fungi via which spores emerge

pseudorhiza - a tap-root-like extension at the base of a mushroom stem

Q

---

R

resupinate - fruitbody that lies flat on the substrate with its hymenium outermost

rhizomorph - a root-like mycelial strand comprising bunched parallel hyphae

ring - membranous remains of the partial veil attached to a stem

S saprophyte - an organism that obtains its nutrients from dead organic material

septate - (describes hyphae) partitioned by cross walls known as septa

septum - (pl. septa) a cross wall separating cells of a hyphal thread

serrate - (describes gill margins) with saw-toothed edges

sessile - without a stalk

slime moulds - a group of fungus-like organisms that use spores to reproduce

sphaerocysts - globose hyphal cells in the Russulaceae and certain other fungi

spore - reproductive structure of a fungus, usually a single cell

sporophore - fungal fruitbody

stellate - star-shaped

sterigma - (pl. sterigmata) prong at top of basidium on which a spore develops

sterile - does not produce spores, either sexually or asexually

stipe - stem of a mushroom

stipitate - (describes a fruitbody) having a stem

striate - (describes a cap) with fine radiating lines or furrows around margin

T

thallus - (pl. thalli) the body of a fungus or a lichen

tomentose - seemingly thickly covered in wool or soft hairs

trama - the flesh or context of a fungal fruitbody’s cap, gills or stem

tubes - spore-bearing cylindrical structures of boletes and polypores

U

universal veil - a protective membrane that initially surrounds an entire fruitbody

Uredinales - rust fungi (an order within the Basidiomycota)

ustilaginomycetes - smut fungi (a class within the Basidiomycota)

V

viscid - slimy or sticky

volva - remains of the universal veil found at stem base of some fungi

W

---

X

---

Y

---

Z

Zygomycota - a class of simple fungi whose hyphae generally lack cross walls

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

References

First Nature

The University of Adelaide

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mutuals

@squidsandthings

@fungus-gnats

@fairy-tales-of-yesterday

@flamingears

@lameotello

@lovelyalicorn

@writingraccoon

@edukincon

@emmakapla

Hiyaaa:) This is another part of Mycology 101, it will be linked in my pinned post.

[this-is-not-a-slow-burn]

TIL that lobster mushrooms are not actually a specific type of mushroom, but rather lactarius or russula mushrooms that have a infection of Hypomyces lactifluorum which is a parasitic fungus.

They're safe to eat as long as it's a confirmed ID.

[mycoblogg]

FOTD #087 : saffron milk cap! (lactarius deliciosus)

the saffron milk cap (also red pine mushroom) is an agaric milk-cap in the family russulaceae. it occurs in portugal, bulgaria, spain, greece, italy cyprus, france, chile, australia, aotearoa, south africa & poland, but may possibly be more widespread. it often grows in association with pine trees :-)

the big question : can i bite it?? yeah !! it's edible. however - unlike the scientific name suggests - it is not very "deliciosus". it is instead quite mild or even bitter.

l. deliciosus description :

"lactarius deliciosus has a carrot-orange cap that is convex to vase shaped, inrolled when young, 4 to 14 centimetres (1+1⁄2 to 5+1⁄2 inches) across, often with darker orange lines in the form of concentric circles. the cap is sticky & viscid when wet, but is often dry. it has crowded decurrent gills & a squat orange stipe that is often hollow, 3 to 8 cm (1 to 3 in) long & 1 to 2 cm (1⁄2 to 1 in) thick. the flesh stains a deep green colour when handled. when fresh, it exudes an orange-red latex that does not change colour."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]