Black mushroom (Lactarius necator)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Incertae sedis (of uncertain position)
- Order: Russulales (Russulovye)
- Family: Russulaceae (Russula)
- Genus: Lactarius (Milky)
- Type: Lactarius necator (Black mushroom)
- Olive black breast
- Chernushka
- Chernysh
- black nest box
- Gypsy
- Black spruce
- Olive brown breast
- Agaric killer
- Milk star
- Lead agaric
- Lead milkman
black mushroom (lat. lactarius necator) is a fungus in the genus Lactarius (lat. Lactarius) of the Russulaceae family.
Description
Hat ∅ 7-20 cm, flat, depressed in the center, sometimes wide-funnel-shaped, with a felt edge wrapped inward. The skin in wet weather is slimy or sticky, with little or no concentric zones, dark olive color.
The pulp is dense, brittle, white, acquiring a gray color on the cut. The milky juice is abundant, white in color, with a very pungent taste.
Leg 3-8 cm in height, ∅ 1,5-3 cm, narrowed downwards, smooth, mucous, the same color with a cap, sometimes lighter at the top, solid at first, then hollow, sometimes with indentations on the surface.
The plates are descending along the stem, forked-branched, frequent and thin.
Pale cream spore powder.
Variability
The color of the cap of the black milk mushroom can vary from dark olive to yellowish brown and dark brown. The center of the cap may be darker than the edges.
Ecology and distribution
The black mushroom forms mycorrhiza with birch. It grows in mixed forests, birch forests, usually in large groups in moss, on litter, in grass, in bright places and along forest roads.
The season is from mid-July to mid-October (massively from mid-August to the end of September).
Food quality
A conditionally edible mushroom, it is usually used salted or fresh in second courses. When salted, it acquires a purple-burgundy color. Before cooking, it requires long-term processing to remove bitterness (boiling or soaking).