11 



flesh of the mushroom, but is most profuKf in (he yills, where in fresli 

 young specimeus it is seen exuchnj^" on the sHghtest pressure. lu ohl or 

 wilted specimeus it does not flow so freely, but may be fouud by breiikiug 

 otr portions of the Ciip. 



The plauts usually present a fleshy cap, the llesh quite brittle, aud 

 breaking in clean, even fractures. In a number of the species the upper 

 surface of the cap shows bands or zones of warm coloring, not found in any 

 of the species of the allied genus Russula. The gills are sometimes even, 

 more often forked, acute on the edge, color white or whitish, but changing 

 to yellowish or reddish tints as the plants mature, or when cut or bruised. 

 While they are at first adnate they become, with the expansion of the cap, 

 somewhat decurrent, showing in this particular a resemblance to the 

 plants of the genus Clitocybe. The stem is central, except in a few spe- 

 cies, where it is eccentric or lateral, notably the latter in L. obliquus ; 

 spores white or yellowish, according to species ; Cooke says, "rarely turn- 

 ing yellow." They are globose, or nearly so, and slightly rough. 



This genus is a large one, and contains many acrid species. Out of 

 fifty-three described and figured by Cooke, more than half are given as 

 having the milk more or less acrid. More than forty species have been 

 recorded as growing in this country, and many of these are extremely 

 acrid in taste. 



A number of the species are edible, while others have been recorded as 

 deleterious, poisonous, etc. L. torminosus, L. piperatus, and L. insulsus 

 are species about which there seems to be difl'erence of opinion among 

 authors as to their wholesomeness or edibility, some contending that, in 

 spite of their extreme acridity, they are edible when cooked, and others 

 that they are deleterious in their effects. L. delielosus and L. colenius have 

 a good reputation in this country as well as abroad, and are quite abun- 

 dant in some localities. They are more frequent in temperate climates 

 than in northern latitudes or in the tropics. 



Plate V. 



Lactarius deliciosus Fries. '■'■Delicious Laetarhis,'" or '• Orange Milk Mushroom." 



Edible. 



Cap fleshy, viscid, at first convex, then nearly plane, becoming much 

 depressed in the centre, funnel-shaped, marked in the adult plant with 

 rings or rust-colored zones. Color of the cap dull orange, turning paler, 

 aud grayish or greenish yellow when old or dried ; margin at first turned 

 inwards; flesh whitish or tinged with yellow; gills decurrent, crowded 

 rather thick, sometimes slightly forked at the base, pale yellow, sometimes 

 a sattVou yellow, exuding when bruised a saft'ron-red or orange-colored 

 liquid, hence the popular name of '' Orange Milk Mushroom ; " stem 

 smooth, somewhat spotted, stout, stuffed with a yellowish pith, event- 

 ually becoming hollow' ; color about the same as that of the cap. Spores 

 subglobose, yellowish. Taste mild or very slightly acrid when raw. 



