Lactarius scrobiculatus
Lactarius scrobiculatus, commonly known as the scrobiculate milk cap or potholed milk cap, is a basidiomycete fungus, belonging to the genus Lactarius, the members of which are called "milk caps".
The distinctive fruiting bodies of this large fungus are locally common in forests throughout Europe and North America. It is regarded as inedible by some authors, but it is nevertheless eaten in parts of Europe.
Taxonomy
The species is placed in subgenus Piperites, section Zonarii, subsection Scrobiculati.Description
Lactarius scrobiculatus produces large agaricoid fruiting bodies which arise from soil. The cap has an eye-catching orange to yellow coloration and is covered with small scales arranged in indistinctive concentric rings. The surface is wet, glossy and slimy especially in wet weather. The cap may be wide, about wide when mature, with a depressed centre and slightly enrolled margin. The gills are crowded and coloured cream to yellow, with darker patches being present sometimes. When cut, the gills bleed copious amounts of a white to cream milk, which soon darkens to yellow. The stem, in relation to the cap, is quite short and stubby, in addition to being hollow. The surface is cap-coloured but the presence of small pits, filled with fluid, is a key identifying feature. The spores are coloured creamy with an elliptical-globular shape.When a small piece of flesh is chewed, it tastes bitter to acrid. One researcher reports developing a numbness in the mouth after nibbling on a piece. It does not have a discernible smell.
There are several recognised varieties, including var. canadensis. var. montanus and var. pubescens.