118 



SUGGESTIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE 

 LACTARIAE* 



Bv Gertrl'ue Simmons Burlingham 



There are only a few species of Lactaria which can be identi- 

 fied positively from dried specimens in the absence of field-notes. 

 Furthermore, one who is not more or less familiar with the 

 distinguishing characteristics of the species in this genus may 

 make seemingly ample notes and yet omit some of the vital 

 points, with the result that much otherwise valuable material 

 becomes worthless or even misleading. Any such waste of time 

 and material is especially lamentable in view of the fact that only 

 a few scattered regions in the United States have been explored 

 at all for any genus of the fleshy fungi. Approximately ninety 

 species and varieties of Lactaria have been reported from the 

 United States, fifty f of which have been described as new 

 species ; but of this number only five have been described from 

 states west of the Alleghany Mountains, while from the majority 

 of the states west of this line no species whatever have been 

 reported. An economic as well as a scientific interest attaches 

 to the genus, since Lactaria deliciosa and Lactaria volema are 

 among the choicest of the esculent mushrooms, and sev^eral 

 other species are considered nearly as palatable. 



The generic characters are conspicuous. The exudation from 

 cuts and bruises in the flesh or gills, of a white or colored juice 

 having the consistency of milk, is usually sufficient to mark the 

 specimen as a Lactaria. In common with the Russrdae, the 

 Lactariae have a vesiculose structure which gives the flesh of 

 both the stem and the pileus a cellular appearance much like 

 pith, and in consequence of this structure the flesh is readily 

 broken and is never fibrous or tough, and the stem is never 

 cartilaginous. The genus is characterized also by the occurrence 



* In Tent. Disp. Meth. Fung. 1797, Persoon uses the term Lactaria as a generic 

 name, thus antedating the Lactaj-ius of Fries by nearly half a century. At the time 

 of publication of " Some Lactarii from Windham County, Vermont," I was unable to 

 obtain this book for consultation. 



j" It is possible that some of these may prove not to be good species. 



