Nearly all grow on the ground.
Distinguished from all other fungi by the presence of a granular milk which pervades every part of the plant and especially the gills; it is commonly white, sometimes changing color and in section Dapetes highly colored from the first. The nature of the milk, especially its taste, whether acrid, subacrid or mild, must be carefully noted in distinguishing species, as it is the most useful characteristic.
In Russula, the only allied genus, the milk-bearing cells are present, but their contents do not appear as milk.
Many of the species are peppery, acrid, astringent; some mildly so, others will be long remembered if tasted raw. Yet not a species is hotter than some radishes, onions, and others of our favorite vegetables. Who would condemn them because they are peppery? There is not a single species of Lactarius which retains its pepperiness after cooking. This quality has to be and is supplied by one of our favorite condiments—pepper itself. Simply because they are toadstools and hot, they have been condemned without trial. It is remarkable that not one of the fungi known to be deadly gives any warning by appearance or flavor of the presence of a poison. The day will probably come when it can be said that if toadstool eaters will confine themselves to hot species, otherwise attractive, they will run no risk. Panus stypticus is astringent, not hot.
ANALYSIS OF TRIBES.
Piperites (peppery, after piperitis, pepperwort). Page 163.
Stem central. Gills unchangeable, not pruinose nor becoming discolored. Milk white at first, usually acrid.
[*] Tricholomoidei—inclining to Tricholoma. Pileus moist, viscid, margin incurved and downy at first.
[**] Limacini—limax, a slug. Pileus viscid when moist, with a pellicle, margin naked.
[***] Piperati. Pileus without a pellicle, hence absolutely dry, often more or less downy or unpolished.