The Wrinkled Lactarius. Edible.

Figure 141.—Lactarius corrugis. Caps wrinkled, tawny-brown. Gills orange-brown.

Corrugis means wrinkled.

The pileus is convex, plane, expanded, slightly depressed in the center; surface of the cap wrinkled, dry, bay-brown; margin at first involute.

The gills are adnexed, broad, yellowish or brownish-yellow, growing paler with age. The stem is rather short, equal, solid, pruinose, of the same color as the pileus. The spores are subglobose, 10–13µ.

This species looks very much like L. volemus, and its only essential difference is in the wrinkled form, and color of the pileus. The milk when dry is very sticky and becomes rather black. It has just a touch of acridity.

Any one determining this species will not fail to note the number of brown cystidia or setæ, in the hymenium, which project above the surface of the gills. They are so numerous and so near the edge of the gills that they give these a downy appearance. The quality of this species is even better than L. volemus, though it is not as abundant here as the latter. Found in thin woods from August to September. The photograph, Figure 141, was made by Prof. H. C. Beardslee.

Lactarius volemus. Fr.