Lactifluus pergamenus

Morphological Features:

Pileus that can exceed 10 cm in diameter, convex and slightly depressed when young, then flattened, finally infundibuliform, of a matte white color that stains upon handling, smooth and satiny. The margin is thin and incurved in young specimens, irregularly lobed in adults.

Lamellae adnate, so crowded that when viewing the mushroom from a certain distance they are indistinguishable. The color is white, though they may exhibit greenish tinges when old.

Stipe of the same color as the pileus, hard and solid, central and cylindrical, attenuated in its basal region. It may stain upon rubbing, similar to the pileus.

Flesh extremely pungent, a taste that becomes apparent as soon as it is brought to the mouth, white in color, hard but brittle. It exudes a very abundant white latex that turns slightly greenish when dry. Its acrid flavor contrasts with its odor, which is quite pleasant.

Habitat:

Fruiting in summer in broadleaf forests, particularly in oak and beech woods. It is not a mushroom that is easy to locate, being quite scarce.

Observations:

This mushroom is so pungent that it is impossible to eat, unless one wishes to severely upset their stomach. It closely resembles Lactarius piperatus, which is equally acrid and has very crowded lamellae, but whose latex lacks the tendency to turn greenish seen in the species described here. Other white Lactarius species do not have such crowded lamellae.