Lactarius glyciosmus
Encyclopedia
Lactarius glyciosmus (commonly known as the coconut scented milk cap) is a semi-edible mushroom in the genus Lactarius
. Mycorrhizal, it can be found growing in soil at the base of birch trees in Europe. It is typically coloured a greyish lilac, with the sometimes hollow stem
a little lighter coloured than the cap
. It has crowded, decurrent gills, and smells strongly of coconut
s.
as Agaricus glyciosmus in 1818. Its specific name is derived from the Ancient Greek
words glukos "sugar(y)", and osmos "smell".
L. glyciosmus is a small to medium sized agaric
, which typically has a convex cap
measuring between 2 and 5.5 centimetres, with a small central depression developing with age. Sometimes there is a central pimple, and the cap is typically coloured a greyish lilac, sometimes varying to a pale buff. It is thin fleshed, with an incurved margin in younger specimens. The stem
measures between 25 and 65 milimetres in height, with a width between 4 and 12 milimetres. The cylindical stem is typically widest at the bottom becoming narrower towards the top, or sometimes club-shaped. The stem is concolourous with the cap, but sometimes is a little paler or with a yellowish hue. The stem is particularly soft and easily broken, and can become hollow. The flesh is buff. The gills are decurrent and crowded, and vary in colour from a pale yellowish to a pale flesh, turning to a greyish lilac with age. The milk
is white with an initially mild, later hot and acrid taste. The mushroom has a strong smell of coconut
s.
It is similar to L. vietus
, the grey milk cap, but is differentiated by the fact L. vietus milk dries grey, while L. glyciosmus milk dries white. It can also be confused with L. cocosiolens, which also smells of coconuts, but L. cocosiolens has a slimey brown or orange cap and is not found among birch.
The spore print is a creamy white colour, and the spores themselves are broadly elliptic in shape, and covered with small warts. The warts are connected by thin ridges in an incomplete network. The spores measure between 8 and 9 by between 5 and 6 micrometre
s.
, Japan, and China.
Lactarius
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi. The genus, collectively known commonly as milk-caps, are characterized by the fact that they exude a milky fluid if cut or damaged...
. Mycorrhizal, it can be found growing in soil at the base of birch trees in Europe. It is typically coloured a greyish lilac, with the sometimes hollow stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
a little lighter coloured than the cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
. It has crowded, decurrent gills, and smells strongly of coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s.
Taxonomy
Lactarius glyciosmus was initially described by the Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus FriesElias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
as Agaricus glyciosmus in 1818. Its specific name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words glukos "sugar(y)", and osmos "smell".
Description
Agaric
An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with lamellae on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a basidiomycete species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body...
, which typically has a convex cap
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
measuring between 2 and 5.5 centimetres, with a small central depression developing with age. Sometimes there is a central pimple, and the cap is typically coloured a greyish lilac, sometimes varying to a pale buff. It is thin fleshed, with an incurved margin in younger specimens. The stem
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
measures between 25 and 65 milimetres in height, with a width between 4 and 12 milimetres. The cylindical stem is typically widest at the bottom becoming narrower towards the top, or sometimes club-shaped. The stem is concolourous with the cap, but sometimes is a little paler or with a yellowish hue. The stem is particularly soft and easily broken, and can become hollow. The flesh is buff. The gills are decurrent and crowded, and vary in colour from a pale yellowish to a pale flesh, turning to a greyish lilac with age. The milk
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
is white with an initially mild, later hot and acrid taste. The mushroom has a strong smell of coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s.
It is similar to L. vietus
Lactarius vietus
Lactarius vietus is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae, first described by Elias Magnus Fries. It produces moderately sized and brittle mushrooms, which grow on the forest floor or on rotting wood. The flattened-convex cap can vary in shape, sometimes forming the shape of a wide funnel...
, the grey milk cap, but is differentiated by the fact L. vietus milk dries grey, while L. glyciosmus milk dries white. It can also be confused with L. cocosiolens, which also smells of coconuts, but L. cocosiolens has a slimey brown or orange cap and is not found among birch.
The spore print is a creamy white colour, and the spores themselves are broadly elliptic in shape, and covered with small warts. The warts are connected by thin ridges in an incomplete network. The spores measure between 8 and 9 by between 5 and 6 micrometre
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
s.
Edibility
L. glyciosmus is considered edible, but is not recommended to the extent that some mycologists consider it inedible. This species is sold in rural markets in Yunnan Province, China.Distribution and habitat
L. glyciosmus is a common mushroom and is found under broad leaved trees, particularly birch. It can be found between late summer and autumn. It grows in soil individually or in scattered groups. It can be found in North America and Europe, New Zealand, SvalbardSvalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, Japan, and China.