Species
Lactarius californiensis (Purple-staining california milk cap)
Lactarius californiensis. Photo: (c) David Greenberger, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing, ectomycorrhizal fungi, containing several edible species. The species of the genus, commonly known as milk-caps, are characterized by the milky fluid (“latex”) they exude when cut or damaged. Like the closely related genus Russula, their flesh has a distinctive brittle consistency. It is a large genus with roughly 450 known species, mainly distributed in the Northern hemisphere. Recently, the genus Lactifluus has been separated from Lactarius based on molecular phylogenetic…
- Humboldt Life
- Kingdom: Fungi (Fungi including lichens)
- Phylum: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycete fungi)
- Subphylum: Agaricomycotina (Higher basidiomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Order: Russulales
- Family: Russulaceae (Milkcaps, brittlegills and allies)
- Genus: Lactarius (Common milkcaps)
- Species: Lactarius californiensis (Purple-staining california milk cap)
- Genus: Lactarius (Common milkcaps)
- Family: Russulaceae (Milkcaps, brittlegills and allies)
- Order: Russulales
- Class: Agaricomycetes
- Subphylum: Agaricomycotina (Higher basidiomycetes)
- Phylum: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycete fungi)
- Kingdom: Fungi (Fungi including lichens)



