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LACTARIAE OF THE UNITED STATES 28 
DISTINGUISHING FIELD-MARKS: Lactaria vellerea may be dis- 
tinguished from Lactaria piperata (L.) Fr. by the short tomentum 
on the pileus. In typical forms this is dense and gives the sur- 
face a very velvety feeling, but it is sometimes less prominent. 
The gills also differ in being distant and they stain brownish 
where wounded, while the milk dries in gummy drops on the gills. 
The gills do not for the most part fork dichotomously as in Lac- 
taria piperata, but the shorter ones anastomose with the longer 
ones. While the latex is practically unchangeable, it is noted by 
Earle as becoming cream-colored (herb. N. Y. Bot. Garden 789, 
826, 1906). Massee says the latex sometimes becomes pale-sul- 
phur when the flesh is broken but soon changes to white. 
Up to the time of Fries, this mushroom was confused with 
so-called piperatus forms. Agaricus piperatus described by Pol- 
lich (Fl. Pal. 3: 289) in 1777, is very clearly Г. vellerea of Fries. 
This is the only description prior to Fries which makes mention 
of the tomentose covering of the pileus. Sowerby figures it in 
1797, then considering it to be the same as the mushroom de- 
scribed by Dr. Lister (Ray Cat. Plant. 123. 1677). Bulliard's 
Agaricus acris pl. 538. f. С, H, №, is undoubtedly 2. vellerea Fr. 
4. LACTARIA SUBVELLEREA Peck, Bull. Torrey Club 25: 360. 
1808. [As Lactarius] 
Pileus fleshy, thin, convex, soon umbilicate, at length nearly 
infundibuliform, white, becoming tinged or spotted with yellowish, 
and when dried cinnamon-colored (323. 2. 1-4), azonate, dry, cov- 
ered with velvet-like tomentum, 7.5-15 cm. broad, margin at first 
and for some time very involute, at length spreading ; gills white 
to pale cream-colored, staining amber-white (72. 2. 4) where the 
latex dries, often forking, adnate or slightly decurrent, narrow ; 
stem white, tapering slightly toward the base, dry, velvety-pubes- 
cent, firm, 1.8-2.8 cm. long, 1.2-2.5 cm. thick ; flesh amber- 
white, odor faint; spores subglobose, smooth, 6-6. 5 их 6.5-7.5 и, 
latex pale cream-colored or whitish, very acrid, usually abundant. 
Has.: On dry ground, mixed woods. July. 
Disrris.: Alabama, Earle (type); North Carolina, Burling- 
ham 7, 1907. 
DISTINGUISHING FIELD-MARKS: This species differs from /. 
vellerea, to which it is closely related, in the narrow close gills, 
and in the finer velvety tomentum or pubescence covering the 
