Voluminous-latex Milky
(Lactarius volemus)
sculpture, acrylic paint
"Wildman"
This milky mushroom has an orange-brown convex cap 2 to 5-1/4 to inches across with an incurved margin at first, becoming flat to vase-shaped. The surface is dry, very slightly velvety. The white flesh stains brown after it's injured.
Note the corrugated (roughened) cap surface
photo by "Wildman"
The white to cream gills, packed quite closely together, attach to the stem, and also stain brown from the latex. The spore print is white.
photo by "Wildman"
The mushroom, which smells fishy, exudes a spectacular quantity of white latex that slowly turns brown, staining the flesh (and anything it comes into contact with, including you) that color.
It makes you think the milk is probably a defense to drown any insect that dares bite into the mushroom, and the fishy odor could be a warning.
Note the brown stains the drying milk creates.
photo by "Wildman"
The vertically-lined stalk is 2-4 inches long, 3/8 -3/4 inches thick, also orange-brown and very slightly velvety.
This mushroom resembles the choice edible hygrophorus milky, which has widely-spaced gills and exudes less latex.
Look for this mushroom in deciduous woods in the eastern half of the US from early to late summer.
This mushroom is a choice edible, but unfortunately I haven't found it in quantity often enough to perform recipe experiments.
Mushroom Homepage, Mushroom Essentials, Lactarius Homepage, Mushroom Cooking, Mushroom Recipes, Home, Back to the Top