Salmon Milkcap

not listed

not listed

not listed

Salmon Milkcap is an edible gilled mushroom. It occurs in Europe and North America. It is uncommon in North America, where it occurs from Nova Scotia to New Jersey, west to southern Ontario and northern Minnesota, and in the southern Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. There are also a handful of records in Washington, Oregon, and California. In Europe, where it is common, it is found from July to November mostly under white fir, sometimes under silver fir, spruce, or beech. It grows on the ground attached to the roots of a host tree. It has a mutually beneficial relationship (mycorrhizal) with the tiny rootlets of trees, absorbing sugars and amino acids while helping the tree absorb water.

When it first appears, the cap is convex and smooth and the margins are rolled inward. It is usually orangish-red, sometimes salmon-colored, and is sometimes concentrically zoned. As it ages the cap expands, becoming flat, and the stalk becomes hollow. Mature caps are 1½″ to 4¾″ (4 to 12 cm) in diameter, depressed in the center to almost funnel-shaped, and irregular in outline, sometimes lobed. The upper surface is hairless and dry, becoming greasy in humid weather. The margins are spread out, flexible, and sometimes wavy, but they are not lined (striate). Older caps rarely have spots of green. When sliced, the cap bleeds a yellowish-orange latex.

The gills are pale orange or orange, thick, often forked, and broadly attached to the stalk, slightly running down the stalk on mature mushrooms. They turn violet when bruised, and rarely turn greenish on older specimens. Between the main gills there are one or two series of short gills that do not reach the stalk.

The stalk is orange or yellowish-orange, without a trace of green, ¾″ to 3″ (2 to 8 cm) long and ⅜″ to 1¼″ (1 to 3 cm) thick. It is firm and solid at first, becoming hollow as it ages. The surface may be smooth, slightly wrinkled, or have scattered pits.

The flesh is thick and firm. It is whitish or cream-colored to pale orange and has no hint of green. When sliced it sometimes turns brownish-red after about an hour. It is edible and has a mild flavor.

The spore print is pale yellow to orange.

Mostly white fir, sometimes silver fir, spruce, or beech

July to November

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

Uncommon in Minnesota

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Location: Duluth, MN