Kindgom: Fungi
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+----Division: Eumycota
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+----Subdivision: Basidiomycotina
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+----Class: Hymenomycetes
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+----Order: Agaricales
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+----Suborder: Russulineae
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+----Family: Russulaceae
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+----Genus: Lactarius
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+----Subgenus: Lactarius
At a Glance: Indigo-blue pileus and stalk fading in age, indigo-blue latexLook Alikes: Lactarius paradoxus can be distinguished by its wine-brown latex.
Pileus Size: (4) 5 - 15 cm broad;
Shape: convex to convex-depressed, usually becoming infundibuliform;
Color: indigo- or dark-blue when young but fading to grayish in age; bruised areas sometimes greenish; often zonate, especially near the margin;
Surface: glabrous; viscid when moist; Margin: inrolled at first; Flesh: firm; whitish at first but turning indigo-blue when cut then staining greenish; Odor: mild; Taste: mild to slightly bitter; sometimes slightly acrid; Chemical reactions: KOH on most surfaces watery orange; Latex: indigo-blue; slowly becoming dark green after exposure to air.
Gills Attachment: adnate to short-decurrent; Color: indigo-blue or paler in age; staining green when bruised; Spacing: close; Thickness: broad.
Stipe Size: 2 - 8 cm long; 1 - 2 cm wide; Attachment: central to slightly eccentric; Shape: equal or tapering downward; Surface: often with a sheen when young; glabrous in age; sometimes spotted; Color: indigo-blue; usually concolorous with pileus but sometimes paler; Consistency: rigid; Flesh: stuffed becoming hollow.
Spore Deposit: cream; Size: 7 - 9 um x 6 - 8 um; Shape: broadly ellipsoid to subglobose; Surface: ornamented with a complete or nearly complete reticulum; Amyloid: amyloid warts and ridges.
Microscopic Basidia: 4-spored (37-45 x 8-10 microns). Edibility: All sources that I checked listed this as edible. Some even said that it is very good. I haven't tried it. Apparently also sold on the market in Mexico City. Habitat: Scattered to gregarious. Summer to fall. Primarily in southern North America in rainy seasons (apparently common here), but also occasionally found northward to Canada. Found in oak and pine woods.
Common Names
References / Bibliography
Common Name Countrys Blue Milk Cap Indigo Lactarius Indigo Milk Cap Indigo Milky
Source Page / Vol:Page Description Referenced As A Field Guide to Mushrooms and Their Relatives 55 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo All That the Rain Promises, and More... A Hip Pocket Guide to Wes 18 Pic Clr & Descrip. Agaricus indigo Collecting and Studying Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi 151 Drwg & Description Lactarius indigo indigo edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Canada 53 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo Fungi of Japan 396 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo Introduction to Mushroom Hunting 26 Pic & Desc Lactarius indigo indigo Mushroom - The Journal of Wild, vol. 9 #3, Global Warming: A Mushrooming event? 8 Article, small Lactarius indigo indigo Mushrooms 331 Drwg & Description Lactarius indigo indigo Mushrooms Demystified 69 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo Mushrooms of North America 77 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo Mushrooms of North America (Phillips) 84 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo Mushrooms: A Quick Reference Guide to Mushrooms of North America 106 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo North American Species of Lactarius 67 Pic & Desc Lactarius indigo indigo North American Species of Lactarius 67 Mention Lactarius indigo indigo One Thousand American Fungi 171, liii Description Lactarius indigo indigo Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms 125 Sm. Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms 686 Pic Clr & Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo The Complete Book of Mushrooms 134 Sm. Descrip. Lactarius indigo indigo The Mushroom Handbook 364 Description Lactarius indigo indigo The Mushroom Trailguide 62 Drwg & Description Lactarius indigo indigo
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