''Lactifluus vellereus'' (formerly ''Lactarius vellereus''), commonly known as the fleecy milk-cap, is a quite large

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the genus ''

Lactifluus ''Lactifluus'' is one of three genera of mushroom-forming fungi containing species commonly named " milk-caps", the others being ''Lactarius'' and ''Multifurca''. It has been separated from ''Lactarius'' based on molecular phylogenetic evidence ...

''. It is one of the two most common

milk-cap Milk-cap (also milk cap, milkcap, or milky) is a common name that refers to mushroom-forming fungi of the genera '' Lactarius'', ''Lactifluus'', and ''Multifurca'', all in the family Russulaceae. The common and eponymous feature of their fruit ...

s found with

beech trees Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

, with the other being '' Lactarius subdulcis''.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Lactifluus vellereus'' is one of a handful of north temperate milk caps that belong to the genus ''Lactifluus'' which has been separated from ''

Lactarius ''Lactarius'' is a genus of mushroom-producing, ectomycorrhizal fungi, containing several edible species. The species of the genus, commonly known as milk-caps, are characterized by the milky fluid ("latex") they exude when cut or damaged. Like ...

'' on

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

grounds. Its closest species is '' L. bertillonii'', with which it forms a rather isolated

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

in the genus.

Description

Like other mushrooms in the family

Russulaceae The Russulaceae are a diverse family of fungi in the order Russulales, with roughly 1,900 known species and a worldwide distribution. They comprise the brittlegills and the milk-caps, well-known mushroom-forming fungi that include some edible ...

, the ''L. vellereus''

fruit body In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the Ovary (plants), ovary after flowering plant, flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their ...

has crumbly, rather than fibrous,

flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...

, and when this is broken the fungus exudes a milky

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

. The mature

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

are white to cream, funnel-shaped, and up to in diameter. It has firm flesh, and a stipe which is shorter than the fruit body is wide. The

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

are fairly distant (quite far apart),

decurrent ''Decurrent'' (sometimes decurring) is a term used in botany and mycology to describe plant or fungal parts that extend downward. In botany, the term is most often applied to leaf blades that partly wrap or have wings around the stem or petio ...

, and narrow, and have brown specks from the drying milk. The

spore print 300px, Making a spore print of the mushroom ''Volvariella volvacea'' shown in composite: (photo lower half) mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; (photo upper half) cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print. A 3.5-centimeter ...

is white in colour. '' Lactifluus bertillonii'' is closely related and very similar, but has hotter milk. Another similar, but phylogenetically distant species is ''

Lactarius controversus ''Lactarius controversus'', commonly known as the blushing milkcap, is a large funnel-capped fungus within the genus ''Lactarius (fungus), Lactarius'', which are collectively known as 'milk caps'. They all exude milky drops (lactate) from the ...

'', distinguishable mainly by its white gills and lack of rosy markings on the upper cap.

Distribution and habitat

The mushroom is found in

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

woods, from late summer to early winter. It is found in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Edibility

The milk tastes mild on its own, but hot when tasted with the flesh. It is considered inedible because of its peppery taste.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1349054 vellereus Inedible fungi Fungi described in 1821 Fungi of Europe Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries

Taxonomy and systematics

Description

Distribution and habitat

Edibility

See also

References