White Volna (Lactarius pubescens)
Systematics:- Department: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (undefined)
- Order: Russulales
- Family: Russulaceae (Russula)
- Genus: Lactarius (Miller)
- Species: Lactarius pubescens (White wave)
Sininoyms:
- Belyanka
- Volzhanka
White wave hat:
The diameter of the cap of the wave is 4-8 cm (up to 12), depressed in the center, with strongly tucked edges, which unfold as the mushroom matures. With age, many specimens acquire a funnel-shaped shape, especially for fungi growing in relatively open places. The surface of the cap is very fleecy, especially at the edges and in young specimens; depending on the conditions of growth, the color changes from almost white to pink, with a dark area in the center; old mushrooms turn yellow. Concentric zones on the cap are almost invisible. The flesh of the cap is white, brittle, secreting a milky juice, white and rather pungent.
The smell is sweetish, pleasant.
White wave plates:
Adherent or descending, frequent, narrow, white in youth, then acquiring a creamy shade; in old mushrooms, they are yellow.
Spore powder:
Cream.
White wave leg:
In waves growing in more or less open places, it is very short, 2-4 cm, but specimens grown in dense and tall grass can reach a much greater height (up to 8 cm); the leg thickness is 1-2 cm. The color is whitish or pinkish, to match the cap. In young specimens, the leg is usually whole; with age, it becomes cellular and completely hollow. It is often narrowed towards the base, especially in short-legged specimens.
Spread:
White wolf occurs from early August to late September in mixed and deciduous forests, forming mycorrhiza mainly with birch; prefers young birch forests and swamp areas. In a good season, it can appear in thickets of young birches in huge quantities.
Similar species:
The white wave can only be confused with the closest relative - the pink wave (Lactarius torminosus). The latter is distinguished by the rich pink color of the cap with pronounced concentric zones, and by the place of growth (old birches, drier places), and by the figure - a white wave is more squat and dense. However, it is very difficult to distinguish single faded specimens of a pink wave from a white wave, and, perhaps, this is not particularly necessary.
Edibility:
A good mushroom suitable for pickling and pickling ; unfortunately, the white wave is probably the most caustic of the "noble" milkmen, surpassing in this indicator even the black milk mushroom (Lactarius necator), although it would seem! some other good mushroom (there is no talk about values and violins). Practice shows that insufficiently cooked waves, even after six months of storage in a marinade, do not lose their bitterness.