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Species Information
Summary: Lactarius torminosus (Fr.) Gray var. torminosus in the sense of Hesler & A.H. Smith is recognized by a bearded, pinkish-tinged to whitish cap, white unchanging peppery milk, close to crowded, narrow gills, a stem colored as the cap or paler, growth under birch, and spores in the range 7-10 x 6-7.5 microns, with amyloid ornamentation of ridges and warts. Var. nordmanensis is distinguished by milk that turns bright yellow by itself, turns bright yellow in KOH, stains white paper yellow, or stains the gills yellow or ochraceous, whereas var. torminosus has white unchanging milk that does not turn white paper yellow or stain gills. Lactarius torminosus is sometimes parasitized by the brownish mold-like Hypomyces torminosum. The description is derived from Hesler(4) except where noted.
Lactarius torminosus var. torminosus material was cited from ID, NS, ON, AK, CO, ME, MI, MN, MO, NY, and VT. There are collections from BC at University of British Columbia that do not specify the variety, but a report in Schalkwijk-Barendsen(1) for BC does specify unchanging milk.
Gills: short-decurrent, close to crowded, narrow, some forking near stem; "whitish becoming pale vinaceous or cream color tinged vinaceous", when old usually becoming pale tan
Stem: 3-7cm x 0.6-1.5(2)cm, fragile, stuffed becoming hollow; colored as cap or paler; dry, bald or pruinose, sometimes spotted
Veil: [none]
Odor: slight
Taste: promptly burning-peppery
Microscopic spores: spores (from sections) 7.5-9(10) x 6-7.5 microns, elliptic, [amyloid] ornamentation "in the form of a broken to partial reticulum with numerous free ends, and also a few isolated warts", prominences 0.2-0.5 microns high; basidia 4-spored, 37-45 x 9-10.5 microns; pleurocystidia: macrocystidia 45-52 x 6-8 microns, "fusoid-ventricose, acute, many with a gradual taper to apex, with 0-2 or more subapical constrictions, content slightly granular", pseudocystidia not observed; cheilocystidia 30-52 x 4.5-7 microns, similar to macrocystidia; cap cuticle a poorly defined ixocutis in young caps, "the hyphae thin-walled and septate, many grouped in fascicles (forming surface fibrils), appearing dry in age"
Spore deposit: cream
Habitat / Range
on soil "in coniferous and hardwood stands, but with birch almost always present", (Hesler), summer, fall, (Bacon)
Similar Species
Lactarius pubescens has smaller spores (6.5-8.5 x 5.5-6.5 microns); Lactarius torminosus var. torminosus is often somewhat zoned unlike L. pubescens var. pubescens. Lactarius subvillosus is more strongly zoned (only var. torminosus of L. torminosus is zoned at all). See also SIMILAR section of Lactarius torminosus var. nordmanensis.
