href="#ulink_bffd1a3c-3146-5330-9e7a-5d9801b6a7e0">58), which has distant gills, and Lactifluus corrugis (p. 60), which has a darker, wrinkled cap. All three have copious, mild-tasting latex and are edible. Lactifluus volemus has a fishy odor that disappears on cooking. Its sticky latex leaves brown stains on fingers, countertops, and baskets. Reports indicate that slow cooking is the best way to bring out the flavor of this mushroom. A yellow variety has been called Lactifluus volemus var. flavus.
Lactifluus volemus
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lactifluus corrugis (Peck) Kuntze
SYNONYM: Lactarius corrugis Peck
COMMON NAME: CORRUGATED MILK CAP
FAMILY: Russulaceae
CAP: Up to 7-1/2 in. wide; variable in color, dark grayish brown, reddish brown, to vinaceous brown, at times deep orange, paler in age; convex, becoming broadly convex and finally flat; surface velvety, dry; not zoned, wrinkled to corrugated, especially near the margin, not striate
FLESH: Whitish, staining brown; thick; firm; odor mild, becoming slightly fishy in age; mild tasting
GILLS: Pale cinnamon pink, pale golden brown; sometimes yellowish to whitish, staining brown where damaged; attached to subdecurrent; close; edges even; no partial veil
LATEX: White, unchanging; staining gills and flesh brown; copious; mild tasting
STEM: Up to 4 in. long; colored like the cap, only paler, at times orangish; equal; solid; surface dry, smooth, bald, or velvety
SPORE PRINT: White
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; solitary, gregarious, or scattered in humus, moss, or soil under broadleaf trees, especially oaks; summer and early fall; common
EDIBILITY: Edible
COMMENTS: Lactifluus volemus (p. 59) is very similar. It usually has a brighter orange cap, paler gills, and a strong fishy odor. Lactarius peckii (p. 43) has similar colors. It has acrid latex and a zonate cap. Lactarius rufus (p. 44) has acrid latex and occurs with conifers.
Lactifluus corrigis
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lactarius lignyotus Fr.
SYNONYM: Lactifluus lignyotus (Fr.) Kuntz
COMMON NAME: Chocolate Milky
FAMILY: Russulaceae
CAP: Up to 4 in. wide; striking blackish brown, fading to dingy yellowish brown in age; convex to flat, with the margin uplifted in age; umbonate; surface dry, velvety, not zoned, at times wrinkled, not striate
FLESH: White, staining rosy pink to dull reddish when cut; brittle; odor not distinctive; taste mild or slightly bitter
GILLS: White, becoming ochraceous tan in old age, bruising red; attached to subdecurrent; subdistant; edges even; no partial veil
LATEX: White, abundant; unchanging; staining the gills reddish; mild or slightly bitter tasting
STEM: Up to 4-1/2 in. long; colored like the cap but usually paler; equal or enlarged downward; solid; at times with longitudinal ridges at the apex; surface dry, velvety
SPORE PRINT: Buff to ochre
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal with conifers and broadleaf trees, including spruce and oak, often found in moss in bogs; gregarious to scattered; summer and fall; common
EDIBILITY: Not recommended; reports vary, probably not poisonous
COMMENTS: This is a common spruce associate in the higher Appalachians. There are several varieties, including Lactarius lignyotus var. canadensis, which has dark gill edges, and Lactarius lignyotus var. nigroviolascens, which has flesh that stains dark violet. Lactarius lignyotellus (not illustrated) is a smaller species that has dark gill edges. Lactarius gerardii (not illustrated) has more distant gills and is usually paler.
Lactifluus lignyotus
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lactifluus luteolus (Peck) Verbeken
SYNONYM: Lactarius luteolus Peck
COMMON NAME: None
FAMILY: Russulaceae
CAP: Up to 2-1/2 in. wide; white to buff, or pale yellowish with tan or yellow stains; convex to flat with a shallow, central depression; surface dry, velvety, somewhat uneven or wrinkled, not zoned or striate
FLESH: White, staining slowly brown where cut; odor fishy; taste not distinctive
GILLS: White to cream, staining brown; attached to subdecurrent; rather thick; close to subdistant; edges even; no partial veil
LATEX: White; unchanging; staining all parts of the mushroom brown; copious; sticky; mild tasting
STEM: Up to 2-1/2 in. long; colored like the cap; equal or tapering downward; solid or stuffed; surface dry, with a velvety bloom, often with brown stains
SPORE PRINT: White to cream
ECOLOGY: Mycorrhizal; usually gregarious or scattered in humus or moss in broadleaf woods, especially with oak; summer and fall; occasional to locally abundant
EDIBILITY: Edible; fishy odor disappears on cooking
COMMENTS: This species is often found along trails in sandy soil.
Lactifluus luteolus
MEDIUM TO LARGE WHITE-SPORED MUSHROOMS WITH A WAXY TEXTURE
Hygrophorus
MEMBERS OF THIS waxy-textured genus of gilled mushrooms are most common
