Lactarius rufus
{{short description|Species of fungus}}
{{redirect|L. rufus|the species known as Lynx rufus|Bobcat}}
{{Speciesbox
| image= Lact.ruf.jpg
| status = G5
| status_system = TNC
| status_ref = {{cite NatureServe |id=2.881164 |title=Lactarius rufus |access-date=2 May 2025}}
| genus = Lactarius
| species = rufus
}}
{{mycomorphbox
| name = Lactarius rufus
| whichGills = decurrent
| capShape = convex
| hymeniumType = gills
| stipeCharacter = bare
| sporePrintColor = white
| howEdible = unknown
| howEdible2 = caution
}}
Lactarius rufus is a common, medium-sized member of the mushroom genus Lactarius, whose many members are commonly known as milkcaps. Known by the common name of the rufous milkcap, or the red hot milk cap in North America. It is dark brick red in color, and grows with pine or birch trees. It is suspected of being poisonous but has some regional culinary uses.
Taxonomy
Described originally by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, and later by the Swedish father of modern mycology Elias Magnus Fries. The specific epithet rufus is a reference to its colour.
Description
The cap is up to {{convert|10|cm|frac=4}} in diameter. It is dark brick, bay, or red-brown. At first it is convex, and often has a small central boss (umbo), but later flattens, eventually acquiring a shallow central depression. The surface is dry and matt. The concolorous, but paler stem often becomes hollow with age. The gills are slightly decurrent, cream, becoming coloured as the cap later, only paler. The spore print is creamy white, with a slight salmon tinge. The flesh is white, as is the (abundant) milk, which tastes mild initially, gradually becoming very hot, and acrid after a minute or so.{{cite book | last = Phillips |first= Roger| year = 2006 | title = Mushrooms | publisher = Pan MacMillan | isbn = 0-330-44237-6}}{{cite book|last1=Trudell|first1=Steve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WevHvt6Tr8kC|title=Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest|last2=Ammirati|first2=Joe|publisher=Timber Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-88192-935-5|series=Timber Press Field Guides|location=Portland, OR|pages=60}}
Distribution and habitat
Lactarius rufus appears from late spring to late autumn. It is frequent in the northern temperate zones in Europe and North America. It is most commonly found with pine trees, but can also appear with birch, conifer, or spruce. It is common in northern California, and the Pacific Northwest from late summer to early winter.
Edibility
Lactarius rufus is generally not recommended for consumption,{{Cite book |last=Arora |first=David |author-link=David Arora |url=https://archive.org/details/arora-david-mushrooms-demystified-a-comprehensive-guide-to-the-fleshy-fungi-ten-speed-press-1986/page/79/mode/2up |title=Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi |date=1986 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-0-89815-170-1 |edition=2nd |location=Berkeley, CA |pages=79-80 |orig-date=1979}}{{cite book |author=Roody WC. |title=Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Ky |year=2003 |page=102 |isbn=0-8131-9039-8}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=5HGMPEiy4ykC&dq=Lactarius+rufus&pg=PA84 Google Books] even being considered poisonous due to the presence of toxins which may cause gastric upset.{{cite book|last1=Miller Jr.|first1=Orson K.|title=North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi|last2=Miller|first2=Hope H.|publisher=FalconGuide|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7627-3109-1|location=Guilford, CN|pages=98}}{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Roger|title=Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America|publisher=Firefly Books|year=2010|isbn=978-1-55407-651-2|location=Buffalo, NY|page=122|orig-year=2005}} However, it is used in some places as a condiment after special treatment. Mycologist David Arora notes that it is eaten in Scandinavian countries after canning, but may be poisonous raw, being especially untested in North America. As of 1984, it was one of the most common wild mushrooms harvested for food use in Finland.{{cite journal|vauthors=Ohenoja E, Koistinen R|date=1984|title= Fruit body production of larger fungi in Finland. 2: Edible fungi in northern Finland 1976—1978|journal=Annales Botanici Fennici|volume=21|issue=4|pages=357–66|jstor=23726151}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}