Lactarius indigo

Indigo Milk Cap, Blue Milk Mushroom

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Family: Russulaceae

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: summer - fall

According to its Wikipedia page, Indigo Milk Cap

"... grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests, where it forms mycorrhizal associations with a broad range of trees. The fruit body color ranges from dark blue in fresh specimens to pale blue-gray in older ones. The milk, or latex, that oozes when the mushroom tissue is cut or broken—a feature common to all members of the Lactarius genus—is also indigo blue, but slowly turns green upon exposure to air. ... Although Lactarius indigo is a well-known edible species, opinions vary on its desirability."




25 July 2014
Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest, Gainesville, VA
31 July 2014
Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, Nokesville, VA
   




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