Lactarius

9.9

A group of mushrooms that give a white milky juice when cut, with some safe and some poisonous types

noun
/lækˈtɛəriəs/

Specialized

: Lactarius

Some species of Lactarius exude a milky fluid that can help distinguish them from other mushrooms.
L. lactarius

Examples

My grandmother taught me how to identify edible Lactarius mushrooms during our hikes.
While many Lactarius mushrooms are delicious, certain types are highly toxic and should be avoided.
This difference was caused by a large increase in the biomass of L. lactarius in catches in 1990 (Table 3).

Academic text (1995)
L. lactarius occurred much more in the TED-closed catches of 1990 than in those of 1988-89 (P < 0.05).

Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

milkcap

vsLactarius

9.1

A mushroom that gives a white milky liquid when you cut it

includes poisonous species as well as edible ones

Compounds

Lactarius deliciosus

Specialized

7.6

A mushroom with an orange cap and orange liquid that grows under pine trees and is safe to eat

Surface Forms

Lactarius singular

Lactarii plural

Etymology

The word Lactarius comes from the Latin root lact- meaning 'milk', the same root you see in lactose and lactation. That's why these mushrooms are called milk-caps: they leak a white, milky juice when cut.