Orange Miller (Lactarius porninsis)
Systematics:
- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (undefined)
- Order: Russulales
- Family: Russulaceae (Russula)
- Genus: Lactarius (Miller)
- Species: Lactarius porninsis (Orange Miller)
Orange Miller (Lactarius porninsis) is a mushroom of the Russula family, belonging to the Millennium genus. The main synonym for the name is the Latin term Lactifluus porninae.
External description of the mushroom
The fruit body of the orange lactarius consists of a leg 3-6 cm high and 0.8-1.5 cm in diameter and a cap with a diameter of 3-8 cm.
Also, the fungus has a lamellar hymenophore under the cap, consisting of not wide and often located plates, slightly descending down the cylindrical and narrowed at the base of the leg. The plates are elements in which yellow spores are preserved.
The cap of the mushroom is initially characterized by a convex shape, later becomes depressed, and even funnel-shaped. Covered with an orange skin, it is characterized by a smooth surface, which becomes sticky and slippery in high humidity.
The leg is initially solid, has the same color as the cap, but sometimes it is slightly lighter. In mature mushrooms, the leg becomes hollow. The milky sap of the fungus is characterized by a strong thickness, acridity, stickiness and white color. When exposed to air, the milky juice does not change its color. The mushroom pulp has a fibrous structure and high density, has a weak smell of orange peels.
Habitat and period of fruiting
Orange milky (Lactarius porninsis) grows in deciduous forests in small groups or singly. Active fruiting of the fungus occurs in summer and autumn. A fungus of this species forms mycorrhiza with deciduous trees.
Edibility
Orange milky (Lactarius porninsis) is an inedible mushroom, and some mycologists classify it as a weakly poisonous mushroom. It does not pose a particular danger to human health, but disorders of the gastrointestinal tract often become the consequences of eating it.
Similar species, distinctive features from them
The fungus of the described species does not have similar species, and its main distinguishing feature is the citrus (orange) aroma of the pulp.
