Lactarius pyrogalus
Encyclopedia
Lactarius pyrogalus, commonly known as the fire-milk Lactarius, is a species of inedible mushroom
in genus Lactarius
. It is greyish in colour and differentiated from other grey Lactarius by its widely-spaced, yellow gills. It is found on the forest floor in mixed woodland, especially at the base of hazel
trees.
as Agaricus pyrogalus in 1792, before being given its current binomial name by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries
in 1838. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek
roots pyro- "fire" and gala "milk".
species.
; the spores are broadly elliptic, with warts generally joined by a moderately thick ridges in a well-developed network. The spores are 7–8 by 5.5–7 µm
in size. The spores are amyloid
, meaning they stain dark blue in Melzer's reagent
, and feature an incomplete net.
trees alone or in scattered groups. It is particularly common in hazel woodland managed for coppice. It can also be found elsewhere on the ground in mixed woodland. It is found in the Autumn months of August-October.
), which is regarded as a choice mushroom.
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
in genus Lactarius
Lactarius
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi. The genus, collectively known commonly as milk-caps, are characterized by the fact that they exude a milky fluid if cut or damaged...
. It is greyish in colour and differentiated from other grey Lactarius by its widely-spaced, yellow gills. It is found on the forest floor in mixed woodland, especially at the base of hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
trees.
Taxonomy
Lactarius pyrogalus was first described by French mycologist Pierre BulliardJean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard was a French physician and botanist....
as Agaricus pyrogalus in 1792, before being given its current binomial name by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
in 1838. Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
roots pyro- "fire" and gala "milk".
Description
Lactarius pyrogalus has a cap 5–10 cm (2–4 in) across which is grey-fawn, sometimes with a yellowish tinge, with pink and purple tinges not unknown. It is flattened-convex to flat, later becoming funnel-shaped. The cap is sometimes faintly concentrically banded, it is thin-fleshed and becomes sticky when moist, but is not shiny. The stem is between 4 and 6 cm, and between 7 and 15 mm thick, generally cylindrical but sometimes slightly swollen at the base. The stem is whitish or concolourous with the cap, with whitish flesh. It has slightly decurrent gills, which are yellow to flesh-coloured, though later become a cinnamon-ochre colour. The well-spaced, yellow gills differentiate it from other greyish LactariusLactarius
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi. The genus, collectively known commonly as milk-caps, are characterized by the fact that they exude a milky fluid if cut or damaged...
species.
Spores
Lactarius pyrogalus produces a light ochre spore printSpore print
thumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
; the spores are broadly elliptic, with warts generally joined by a moderately thick ridges in a well-developed network. The spores are 7–8 by 5.5–7 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
in size. The spores are amyloid
Amyloid
Amyloids are insoluble fibrous protein aggregates sharing specific structural traits. Abnormal accumulation of amyloid in organs may lead to amyloidosis, and may play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases.-Definition:...
, meaning they stain dark blue in Melzer's reagent
Melzer's Reagent
Melzer's reagent is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi.-Composition:...
, and feature an incomplete net.
Distribution
Lactarius pyrogalus is fairly common and is generally found at the base of hazelHazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
trees alone or in scattered groups. It is particularly common in hazel woodland managed for coppice. It can also be found elsewhere on the ground in mixed woodland. It is found in the Autumn months of August-October.
Edibility
Lactarius pyrogalus has a very hot, acrid taste and is acidic. It is due to this taste that it received both its English name, fire-milk Lactarius, and its scientific name, with "pyrogalus" translating as "fire milk". Despite not being poisonous, it is not regarded as edible and should be avoided. This is unlike its relative, the saffron milk-cap (L. deliciosusLactarius deliciosus
Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the Saffron milk cap, Red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales...
), which is regarded as a choice mushroom.