CLASSIFICATION 153 



M. rubvicatus. — Tufted. Cap about | in. across, convex, then 

 plane, whitish, then tinged red or buff ; gills adnexed, white, then 

 brownish ; stem l~\ in. long, incurved at the base, hoHow, sprinkled 

 with delicate, mealy granules about half-way up. 



On dead bramble stems, etc. 



M. actinophorus. — Cap very thin, convex, then plane and um- 

 bihcate, pale bay-brown, with distant, darker, radiating lines, 

 wrinkled when dry, 1-2 lines across ; gills adnexed, narrow, 

 whitish, alternate ones shorter ; stem 3-1 in. long, very slender, 

 equal, paler than the cap. 



Readily known by the brown cap marked with darker, radiating 

 lines. Not striate. 



On fallen twigs. 



M. epichloe. — Cap very thin, 2-3 lines across, convex, then plane, 

 papillate, not striate, whitish, disc bay-brown ; gills rounded be- 

 hind, rather crowded, broadest behind ; stem about i in. long, 

 slender, equal, bay, coarsely striate, the striae setulose, base paler. 



On dry grass stems, on spines of Rohinia, etc. 



Lactarius 



Cap regular, usually rigid and fleshy, often more or less depressed 

 and marked with concentric zones ; gills adnate or decurrent, often 

 branched ; stem central, rarely excentric or lateral, stout. Every 

 portion of the fungus exudes a quantity of white or coloured 

 *' milk " when broken. 



The presence of this " milk," or latex, is characteristic of the 

 present genus, and clearly separates it from its closest ally, Russitla. 

 A few delicate species of Mycena contain latex which escapes in a 

 liquid form when the fungus is bruised, but these are not likely to 

 be mistaken for species of Lactarius. 



Every part of the fungus tissue contains numerous anastomosing, 

 laticiferous hypha, which are analogous to the laticiferous vessels 

 met with in many flowering plants, and which liberate latex, or 

 " milk," when the tissue is broken, as in dandelion, lettuce, cheli- 

 donium, etc. These hyphae are filled with a densely granular liquid 

 latex — or " milk," as it is termed by systematists, which escapes in 

 drops when the tissue is broken. In the majority of species the 

 latex is persistently white or milk-like, in some species the white 

 milk changes colour on exposure to the air ; whereas, again, in 

 other species the latex is coloured from the first. Another pecu- 

 liarity about the milk is that in some species it is hot or peppery 

 to the taste ; whereas in certain kinds the intense burning sensa- 

 tion experienced when a minute drop is touched by the tip of the 

 tongue is something to remember. These peculiarities of colour 

 and taste of the milk are of specific importance, and must be noted 

 in any attempt to name a specimen. The milk is not poisonous 

 in any species, only sometimes hot. 



