North American species of Lactarius / L. R. Hesler, Alexander H. Smith.

Subgenus Russularia

443

Variant Smith 83580:
In the same areas as Smith 79818, a variant was encountered under Jeffrey Pine (P. jeffrevi) in which the pileus was subviscid.
Pileus 4-10 cm broad, convex-depressed with an incurved margin,
becoming shallowly vase-shaped, rarely with a central papilla, surface
naked and glabrous, subviscid to the touch when wet, soon dry, when
wet "brick-red," but when moisture escaped it was cocoa-brown, evenly
colored; margin opaque and often wavy. Context thin, fragile, vinaceous-buff faded, odor slight, taste slowly but finally decidedly burning
acrid. Latex milk-white and rather copious in young basidiocarps, unchanging, not staining, acrid.
Lamellae whitish, gradually darkening to dingy "light pinkish
cinnamon," not spotting, crowded, adnate to short-decurrent, moderately broad; many tiers of lamellulae present.
Stipe 6-12 cm long, 11-25 mm thick, hollow, ~ equal, fragile, concolorous with pileus, hoary at first, not viscid, base with vinaceoustawny hairs and mycelium.
Spore deposit pale yellow ("B"). Spores 7.5-9.5 (12) X 6-7.5 p,
ellipsoid, plage area distinct, hyaline in Melzer's; ornamentation a
partial reticulum, some isolated warts and short ridges present; prominences 0.5-0.8 / high.
Basidia 37-45 X 8-10 p, 4-spored. Pleurocystidia: macrocystidia
52-60 X 7.5-11 /I, fusoid-ventricose, acuminate, content slightly granular; pseudocystidia scattered, filamentous. Cheilocystidia similar to
pleurocystidia but smaller. Pileus trama heteromerous. Pileus
cuticle a broad zone of hyphae 3-14 (20) 1 broad, a significant number
of cells appreciably inflated, many simply tubular but broad, a thin
obscure zone of narrow (3-5 pu) hyphae present as an indistinct epicutis,
some free hyphal ends projecting as pileocystidia. Stipe cortex with
rosettes. Stipe cuticle of vertical to interwoven narrow nongelatinous
hyphae + cylindric, the layer giving rise to tufts of caulocystidia (as
hyphal ends).
Habit, habitat, and distribution.-Gregarious under Jeffrey Pine,
Pacific City, Tillamook County, Oregon, November 9, 1972, Smith
83580 (a large fruiting was observed).
Comments. —This variant features a subviscid pileus, a copious
latex when young, and a tardily but strongly acrid taste of the context
and latex combined. The pileus was not observed to become rimose or
areolate.

Variant Smith 84951 (a large fruiting was observed):