Lactarius argillaceifolius

Lactarius argillaceifolius is a species of fungus in the family Russulaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus have convex to flattened drab lilac-colored caps that are up to 18 cm wide. The cream-colored gills are closely spaced together and extend slightly down the length of the stem, which is up to 9 cm long by 3.5 cm thick. The mushroom produces an off-white latex when injured that stains the mushroom tissue brownish. The species is found in eastern North America, with a range extending from Canada to northeastern Mexico. It has also been found in pine plantations in Brazil, where it is probably an introduced species. Lactarius trivialis is a European counterpart that is similar in appearance. In addition to its distribution, it can be distinguished from L. argillaceifolius by differences in preferred habitat and color differences in the gills, cap, and latex. The L. argillaceifolius variety megacarpus, a larger form with caps up to 27 cm wide, occurs under coast live oak and tanoak in the Pacific Coast states and Baja California. Variety dissimilis, described on the basis of a single specimen from South Carolina, differs from the main form in the microscopic structure of the cap cuticle.

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