Lactarius sanguifluus
Encyclopedia
Lactarius sanguifluus is an edible
species of fungus
in the Russulaceae
family. It is distributed in Asia and Europe. When bruised or cut, the fruit bodies
ooze a blood-red to purple latex
which turns greenish upon exposure to air. The caps are carrot to reddish-brown with darker concentric zones, and become funnel-shaped in age. Fruit bodies are found scattered or in groups under conifers, especially Douglas fir.
in 1838. It is classified in the section Dapetes of the genus Lactarius, along with other popular edible
species L. deliciosus
and L. deterrimus
. In India, it is known locally as Lal chhatry and Khunyo.
in India, where it has been noted to grow in mixed coniferous forests, usually under the fern Onychium contiguum. In the Netherlands, it was found in calcareous
dunes, growing in a warm, sunny and sheltered place at the edge of a woods dominated in pine
species.
It has also been collected in Belgium, and China.
. In India, young specimens are consumed along with L. deliciosus.
Fruit bodies can bioaccumulate
heavy metals, including toxic ones, from polluted soil
. For this reason, consuming mushrooms harvested from potentially contaminated sites—such as near roadsides subject to heavy traffic—is not recommended. In one Turkish study of various edible mushroom species, the fruit bodies of L. sanguifluus were determined to have accumulated high levels of zinc
, manganese
, nickel
, cobalt
, cadmium
, and lead
.
(especially macroscopic characters and spore
-ornamentation) and molecular evidence (based on internal transcribed spacer
-sequencing) has confirmed that they are separate species.
s. The predominant sterol is ergosterol
(56.6% of total sterols), with lesser amounts of ergosterol derivatives
, including ergost-7-en-3β-ol, ergosta-7,22-dien-3β-ol, and ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol.
The latex contains sesquiterpenes pigment
s with a guaiane skeletons; these include the compounds given the common names lactaroviolin and sangol. Some of these chemicals are thought to undergo enzymatic
conversions when the fruit body becomes injured.
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
species of fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
in the Russulaceae
Russulaceae
The Russulaceae are a family of fungi in the order Russulales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 1243 species. Its species typically have fruit bodies with friable, chalk-like stalks, that break with a distinct crack, somewhat like a carrot but with porous flesh...
family. It is distributed in Asia and Europe. When bruised or cut, the fruit bodies
Basidiocarp
In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma , is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures...
ooze a blood-red to purple latex
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,...
which turns greenish upon exposure to air. The caps are carrot to reddish-brown with darker concentric zones, and become funnel-shaped in age. Fruit bodies are found scattered or in groups under conifers, especially Douglas fir.
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically by Jean-Jacques Paulet as Hypophyllum sanguifluum in 1811, and given its current name by Elias Magnus FriesElias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
in 1838. It is classified in the section Dapetes of the genus Lactarius, along with other popular edible
Edible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
species L. deliciosus
Lactarius deliciosus
Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the Saffron milk cap, Red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales...
and L. deterrimus
Lactarius deterrimus
Lactarius deterrimus is a mushroom closely related to Lactarius deliciosus. The common name for this fungus is False saffron milk-cap, it's also known as Bitterer Milchling.-Taxonomy:...
. In India, it is known locally as Lal chhatry and Khunyo.
Habitat and distribution
Lactarius sanguifluus is widely distributed in Himachal PradeshHimachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
in India, where it has been noted to grow in mixed coniferous forests, usually under the fern Onychium contiguum. In the Netherlands, it was found in calcareous
Calcareous
Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...
dunes, growing in a warm, sunny and sheltered place at the edge of a woods dominated in pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
species.
It has also been collected in Belgium, and China.
Edibility
The fruit bodies of Lactarius sanguifluus are edibleEdible mushroom
Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...
. In India, young specimens are consumed along with L. deliciosus.
Fruit bodies can bioaccumulate
Bioaccumulation
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
heavy metals, including toxic ones, from polluted soil
Soil contamination
Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment....
. For this reason, consuming mushrooms harvested from potentially contaminated sites—such as near roadsides subject to heavy traffic—is not recommended. In one Turkish study of various edible mushroom species, the fruit bodies of L. sanguifluus were determined to have accumulated high levels of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
, cadmium
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
, and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
.
Similar species
Lactarius vinosus has often been considered as a variety of L. sanguifluus, but morphologicalMorphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
(especially macroscopic characters and spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
-ornamentation) and molecular evidence (based on internal transcribed spacer
Internal transcribed spacer
ITS refers to a piece of non-functional RNA situated between structural ribosomal RNAs on a common precursor transcript. Read from 5' to 3', this polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript contains the 5' external transcribed sequence , 18S rRNA, ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2, 28S rRNA and finally the 3'ETS...
-sequencing) has confirmed that they are separate species.
Bioactive compounds
Lactarius sanguifluus contains a mixture of sterolSterol
Sterols, also known as steroid alcohols, are a subgroup of the steroids and an important class of organic molecules. They occur naturally in plants, animals, and fungi, with the most familiar type of animal sterol being cholesterol...
s. The predominant sterol is ergosterol
Ergosterol
Ergosterol is a sterol found in fungi, and named for ergot, a common name for the members of the fungal genus Claviceps from which ergosterol was first isolated. Ergosterol does not occur in plant or animal cells...
(56.6% of total sterols), with lesser amounts of ergosterol derivatives
Derivative (chemistry)
In chemistry, a derivative is a compound that is derived from a similar compound by some chemical or physical process. In the past it was also used to mean a compound that can be imagined to arise from another compound, if one atom is replaced with another atom or group of atoms, but modern...
, including ergost-7-en-3β-ol, ergosta-7,22-dien-3β-ol, and ergosta-5,7-dien-3β-ol.
The latex contains sesquiterpenes pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
s with a guaiane skeletons; these include the compounds given the common names lactaroviolin and sangol. Some of these chemicals are thought to undergo enzymatic
Enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...
conversions when the fruit body becomes injured.