Genus
Lactarius (Common milkcaps)
Lactarius olivaceoumbrinus. Photo: (c) Warren Cardimona, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
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 subvillosus
- Species: Lactarius californiensis (Purple-staining california milk cap)
- Species: Lactarius pallescens
- Species: Lactarius occidentalis
- Species: Lactarius atrobadius
- Species: Lactarius desjardinii
- Species: Lactarius pallidiolivaceus
- Species: Lactarius luculentus (1)
- Subgenus: Lactarius (17)
- Subgenus: Russularia (6)
- Species: Lactarius argillaceifolius (Clay-gilled milkcap) (1)
- Subgenus: Plinthogalus (3)
- 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)
