Guess the fungus

[Leif]

I'm pretty sure what this one is:



"4 October 1998 Madingley, near Cambridge. With Oak and Ash, Cap 5-10cm , stem about 6cm. Cap ochre, covered with shaggy hairs, margin woolly, depressed to funnel shaped. Gills ochre as cap, narrow, Stem colour as cap, smooth, hollow. Flesh firm, whitish. Taste very hot. Milk white unchanging. Smell fruity."

Suggestions?

[FungiJohn]

It looks a little like Lactarius torminosus to me but I could be way off ... rhubarb as usual

[Fungus Ken]

Well John, you are in the right area but the colour is not right for Lactarius torminosus. There are distinctly ochraceous tones in the colour of the cap which would rule out both L. torminosus and L. pubescens.

With that strongly woolly edge to the cap (and no evidence of any strong colour change in the milk on the gills which rules out section Uvidi), these would key out to subgenus Piperites, section Piperites which has only three British representatives, the two above and Lactarius mairei.

I have adapted the key in Roberto Galli's book on Lactarius to include only British species and relevant extracts from the Basidiomycota Checklist. Here's the relevant extract:

SUBGENUS PIPERITES. SECTION Piperites

General characters. Cap sticky, white, flesh-coloured creamy, rose, reddish rose. Cuticle hairy-woolly, mainly at cap margin. Milk white unchanging, mostly hot. Spore print pale creamy.

1. Usually with oak but also reported with beech and ash, often on calcareous soil. Cap more or less zonate, ochraceous, ochraceous yellow, fulvous ochre… Lactarius mairei

1. Strictly associated with birch… 2

2. Medium or medium to large sized species. Cap more or less zonate, rose, reddish rose, rosy orange, reddish ochre… Lactarius torminosus

2. Medium to small sized species. Cap azonate, white, whitish rose, darker rose at centre… L. pubescens

So my guess would be Lactarius mairei. I don't know it at all, but if that's what it is it's a wonderful find. Here's the relevant text from the Basidiomycota Checklist:

"Habitat: On soil (often calcareous) in deciduous woodland. Often associated with Quercus spp., but also reported with Fagus and Fraxinus.

Notes: This is a small but distinctive species, possibly genuinely rare though widespread in Britain. Known from England (Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Kent and West Sussex) and a single collection from Scotland (Easterness)."

Ken

[Leif]

Excellent Ken, you win the (virtual) coconut. I just wish it was a better picture.

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Leif

Excellent Ken, you win the (virtual) coconut. I just wish it was a better picture.

Nice one Ken Enjoy the coconut The pictures fine Leif.
John

[mykonik]

Now that is interesting !

It's definitely Lactarius mairei and the interesting thing is that this is usually considered a very rare species in Britain, confined to oaks on calcareous soil !

Having said all of that there was a population explosion of it last year throughout southern England (I personally found it in five different sites, in vast numbers) - so it may be on the increase - global warming ?? (It likes warmth !!)

Very nice one Leif !!


Nick

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by mykonik

Now that is interesting !


(I personally found it in five different sites, in vast numbers) -

Nick

Make the most of it with the amount of time you have been giving to WAB you won't get time for foraying as well this year

Mal