176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUIM 



or among mosses in swamps and wet places. It occurs in woods and 

 open places and may be found from July to October. It sometimes has 

 a disagreeable flavor when raw, but when well cooked it is tender and of 

 agreeable flavor. Though small, its abundance in some localities makes 

 it possible to obtain a sufficient quantity for the table. 



Lactarius subpurpureus Pk. 



PURPLISH LACTARIUS 



PLATE 70, FIG. 1-6 



Pileus convex, becoming nearly plane or subinfundibuliform, glabrous, 

 slightly viscid when moist, somewhat zonate, purplish red with a grayish 

 luster, assuming greenish stains where wounded or when old; lamellae 

 close, adaate or decurrent, purplish red, becoming tinged with dull yellow 

 or stained with greenish hues when old ; stem equal or slightly tapering 

 upward, hollow, glabrous or sometimes hairy at the base, adorned with 

 a few round or oval depressed red spots ; spores subglobose, rough, 

 .00035-. 0004 of an inch broad. 



The purplish lactarius is distinguished from all our other species by 

 the dark red milk that issues from wounds of the flesh or gills. It 

 belongs to the same group of species as L. d e 1 i c i o s u s , L. i n d i g o 

 and L. chelidonium. It is also allied to the European L. 

 sanguifluus, which is described as having a blood red, zoneless cap 

 and blood red, mild milk. 



The cap is at first convex, often having a central depression, but by 

 Its expansion and the elevation of the margin it soon becomes nearly 

 plane with the central depression more pronounced and sometimes it 

 becomes funnel form. Its surface is smooth and a little viscid when 

 moist. Its color is a beautiful, pale purplish red with a grayish tint. It 

 is also adorned with a few zones or bands of brighter color. These are 

 composed of small, somewhat confluent spots. They generally disappear 

 in drying. When old, the colors fade and the cap is apt to become 

 stained with green. Wounds of any part of the plant soon assume green- 

 ish hues. The flesh is a little paler than the surface of the cap except 

 near the gills, where it has the dark red color of the milk. 



The gills when young resemble the cap in color, but with advancing 

 age they become tinged with dingy yellowish hues, which are apparently 

 due to the color of the spores. The stem is generally cylindric, smooth, 

 hollow and marked by a few round or oval depressed, dark red spots 

 with a definite margin. 



