Lactarius repraesentaneus - Yellow Bearded Milkcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

This remarkable, yellow woolly-fringed mushroom is readily identifiable by its overall appearance. Indeed, because any damaged parts quickly turn lilac or pale purple as the exuded latex changes colour upon contact with the air, there really is no excuse for mistaking it for any other species. Unfortunately the Yellow Bearded Milkcap is very rare in Britain and Ireland - so much so that to be sure of finding it you need to visit northern mainland Europe, where this milkcap is quite common.

The scientific specific name is (incorrectly) spelt Lactarius representaneus in some field guides.

Identification Guide

Cap	Mid to dark yellow, usually without concentric colour zones; slimy in centre, but increasingly woolly towards the rim, which is overhung by ragged woolly strands; convex, flattening with an incurved margin and sometimes becoming slightly depressed; 5 to 18cm dia.
Gills	The adnate or shortly decurrent, crowded whitish gills eventually turn yellow or pale orange; when damaged they become stained by a copious white latex that turns lilacious or pale purple.
Stem	5 to 12 cm long and 2 to 4cm in dia; cylindrical or slightly clavate; slimy when fresh; usually with small round surface hollows; whitish or yellow; turning lilac to pale purple if bruised or cut. There is no stem ring.
Spore print	Pale yellowish-cream.
Odour/taste	Slight fragrant odour when young; taste usually bitter and acrid.
Habitat	Under conifers, particularly spruce trees. (The Yellow Bearded Milkcap also occurs in northern states of the USA.)
Season	August to October.
Occurrence	In the UK it occurs in northern Scotland, where it is a very rare find; however, in Scandinavia this is quite a common milkcap.
Similar species	Lactarius pubescens has a buff-white or cream woolly cap and grows under birch on sandy soil. Lactarius torminosus has a pale pink woolly cap and grows under birches usually in damp soil.