Fleshy Fungi of New Brunswick >> Lactarius leonis

Lactarius leonis Kytöv.

Solitary to gregarious (5) in deep Sphagnum carpet under Picea mariana and Larix laricina, deeply embedded in the moss so only the top of the pileus is visible – McPherson Point Protected Natural Area, , New Brunswick (06-10-16/01).

Basidiospores very pale yellow in mass, subglobse to broadly ellipsoidal, 6.2-7.5 (9.0) X 5.0-6.4 (7.0) μm, D/d = 1.09-1.29, with fairly high ridges forming an incomplete reticulum

Differs from Lactarius scrobiculatus in having a less vivid yellow colour and a non-zonate pileus. It is consistently reported to be associated with spruces in wet areas. The two photos of the pileipellis show the very thick gelatinous layer (ixocutis), which may be up to a millimeter thick. The first of these photos has a small rectangle which denotes the region covered in the enlargement. Note that the brick-wall-like structure at the tops of these pictures is a cross-section of a Sphagnum leaf that was trapped on the surface of the cap.

Photograph: D. Malloch (06-10-16/01).