Semi-red mushroom (Lactarius semisanguifluus)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (undefined)
- Order: Russulales
- Family: Russulaceae (Russula)
- Genus: Lactarius (Miller)
- Species: Lactarius semisanguifluus (Gingerbread half-red)
Synonyms :
Red pine mushroom
- Ginger green-red
The name "half red" (Lactarius semisanguifluus) indicates a difference from the red camelina (Lactarius sanguifluus), it should be understood literally: not so red.
Description
Hat : 3-8, sometimes 10, according to some sources it can grow, rarely, up to 12 centimeters in diameter. But the average size is more common, 4-5 centimeters. Dense, fleshy. In youth it is convex, hemispherical, with a slightly tucked edge. With age, it is prostrate, with a depressed middle, funnel-shaped, with a thinner, slightly lowered or flat edge. Orange, orange-red, ocher. Concentric green, dark green zones are clearly traced on the cap, more distinct and thinner in young specimens. In older mushrooms, green zones expand and can merge. In very adult specimens, the cap may be completely green. The skin on the cap is dry, slightly sticky in wet weather. When pressed, it turns red, then turns wine-red, then turns green again.
Plates : narrow, frequent, weakly descending. The color of the plates in young mushrooms is pale ocher, light orange, later ocher, often with brownish and green spots.
Leg : 3-5, up to 6 centimeters in height and 1.5 - 2.5 centimeters in diameter. Cylindrical, often slightly narrowed towards the base. In the color of the cap or lighter (brighter), orange, orange-pink, often with depressed orange, with age - greenish, green uneven spots. The flesh of the leg is dense, whole; when the mushroom matures, a narrow cavity forms in the stem.
Flesh : firm, juicy. Slightly yellowish, carrot, orange-reddish, in the center of the leg, if you make a vertical cut, lighter, whitish. Under the skin, the cap is greenish.
Smell : pleasant, mushroom, with well-defined fruity notes.
Taste : sweet. Some sources point to a spicy aftertaste.
Milky sap : Varies in air. First, orange, bright orange, carrot, then quickly, literally in a few minutes, it begins to darken, acquiring purple hues, then it becomes purple-violet. The taste of milky juice is sweet, with a bitter aftertaste.
Spore powder : light ocher.
Spores : 7-9.5 * 6-7.5 microns, elliptical, wide, warty.
Season and distribution
The fungus (probably) forms mycorrhiza with pine, some sources indicate specifically with Scottish pine, so it can be found in pine and mixed (with pine) forests and park areas. Prefers calcareous soils. Grows singly or in small groups, from July to October, not abundantly. In some countries, the mushroom is considered quite rare, it is not recommended to collect it precisely because of its rarity.
Edibility
The information on the network, oddly enough, is contradictory. Most sources indicate the semi-red camelina as an edible mushroom, which is not inferior in taste to the more common pine camelina. However, there are also mentions of much lower taste (Italy), and recommendations to boil the mushroom for at least 20 minutes, with obligatory rinsing after boiling, drain the broth (Ukraine).
Similar species
- Ginger spruce - differs in the place of growth (under the fir trees) and the color of the milky juice.
- Red ginger - does not have such pronounced zones on the cap.
Photo: Andrey.