Lactarius musteus

Description

Lactarius musteus is a rare species growing with Pinus on poor soil. The gills turn grayish-green after bruising. It is a small fungus with an ocher-yellow or light ocher-brown cap, silvery-shiny in the dry and radially streaked, sticky in the moisture. Grows from August to November.

This mushroom has a poor culinary value. Used salty, after 1 - 2 days of soaking, and 15 minutes of boiling.

Lactifluus musteus (Fr.) Kuntze 1891 is a synonym.

Common names: Pine Milkcap.

Mushroom Identification

1. Cap

   4 - 10 cm in diameter, first convex, with a twisted, smooth edge, later convex-spread, flat-spread, concave-spread, sometimes funnel-shaped, sometimes eccentric, with a lowered, scarred edge. The surface of the cap is initially slightly fluffy closer to the edges, later bare, sticky in wet weather, dry when dry, shiny, first ocher-gray, and later with rusty or reddish-gray spots.

2. Gills

   The gills are thick, narrow, ingrown, slightly descending to the leg, first whitish, later reddish-yellowish, in places of contact acquire a rusty-brown color.

3. Stem

   3 - 7 cm high, 1.5 - 4 cm in diameter, cylindrical, sometimes curved, initially solid, dense, with age with a cavity, wrinkled, initially sticky, later dry, the same color as the surface of the cap.

4. Flesh

   The flesh is whitish, pale cream, rusty brown on the cut, sweet in taste, with a pleasant fruity aroma. Milk juice is white, in the air becomes sulfur-yellow, sweet in taste.

5. Spores

   8-9 * 6.5-7 μm, elliptical or almost rounded.

6. Spore Print

   Yellowish or light cream.

7. Habitat

   Grows from August to November, in pine forests, on dry sandy soils, among moss, alone and in groups, rarely. Rare species.

Photo sources:

Photo 1 - Author: Irene Andersson (irenea) (CC BY-SA 3.0)