Inedible milk mushrooms (milkmen): photo of golden yellow and gray-pink (amber) milk mushrooms
Milk mushrooms are mushrooms of the genus Mlechnik, which is where their second name came from. Along with edible species, there are inedible milk mushrooms that have an unpleasant taste and for this reason are not used in cooking. True, in folk medicine, the golden-yellow milk mushroom has found its use as a remedy for headaches.
Below you can find a description and photos of several types of inedible milk mushrooms: resinous black, golden yellow and gray-pink milkweed. We also bring to your attention information about the halo of their distribution and the twins of these mushrooms.
Inedible mushroom golden yellow
Category: inedible.
Other names: golden milky, golden milky milk.
The flesh of Lactarius chrysorrheus is fragile, white, yellowing when cut and when exposed to air. Milky sap is also white, but quickly changes color to yellow or golden.
The golden yellow milk mushroom has no pronounced odor, the flesh tastes unpleasant, bitter or peppery.
Hat (diameter 3-7 cm): matte ocher, light beige or red, with spots and concentric stripes. Smooth to touch.
In a young mushroom, it is slightly convex, but over time it becomes prostrate and concave.
Leg (height 3-9 cm): white, cylindrical in shape with significant thickening at the base. Changes over time from solid to hollow.
Plates: dense and not wide, often with a characteristic bifurcation at the edges.
Doubles: oak breast (Lactarius quietus). The main difference is that its milky juice does not change color. It can also be distinguished from the real mushroom (Lactarius deliciosus) by the milky juice, or rather, by its color: in a real saffron milk cap it is rich orange and changes to greenish.
When it grows: from late June to mid-October in temperate countries of the Eurasian continent.
Where can I find: in deciduous forests next to oaks or chestnuts.
Eating: because of its unpleasant taste, it belongs to inedible mushrooms.
Application in traditional medicine (data not confirmed and not passed clinical trials!): in the form of a decoction as a remedy for severe headaches.
Gray-pink (amber) milk mushroom (milkman) and his photo
Category: inedible.
Other names: gray-pink lactarius, inedible lactarius, amber lactarius, roan lactarius.
Hat of a gray-pink breast (Lactarius helvus) (diameter 5-14 cm): shiny, usually pinkish or brownish brown.
As you can see in the photo of the amber milky, the cap of the young mushroom is usually flat. Over time, the edges rise strongly, and the cap takes on the shape of a funnel.
Leg of the amber milk jug (height 3-12 cm): loose, cylindrical, becomes hollow in old mushrooms. Usually the same color as the hat.
Pay attention to the photo of the gray-pink milky: the mushroom plates are whitish or slightly pinkish, firmly adhered to the mushroom leg.
Pulp: light yellow with a very strong odor. The smell of a gray-pink mushroom is tart and unpleasant, similar to the peculiar aroma of chicory or medicinal lovage.
Doubles: absent (due to the peculiar aroma).
When it grows: from mid-July to late September in temperate northern countries.
Where can I find: on acidic soils of coniferous forests, especially under spruce. Less commonly under birches or in blueberry bushes. Often found on swampy soils.
Eating: due to an unpleasant odor and poor taste, it is unsuitable for food.
Application in traditional medicine: does not apply.
Inedible grubby resinous black
Category: inedible.
Other names: lactic acid black, resinous lactarius.
Black resinous cap (Lactarius picinus) (diameter 3-11 cm):dark brown or chocolate, velvety, usually flat or slightly depressed.
Leg (height 2-7 cm): strong, cylindrical, with slight pubescence. Expands from bottom to top.
Plates: narrow and frequent.
Pulp: dense and white, on the cut and when interacting with air it turns slightly pink, and it is not the pulp itself that turns pink and reddens, but the milky juice. When broken or cut, emits a distinct fruit aroma.
Doubles: brown milky (Lactarius lignyotus). The only difference is that his hat is even darker.
The resinous black mushroom grows from the beginning of August to the end of September in the countries of the Eurasian continent with a temperate climate.
Where can I find: usually under pines and firs.
Eating: not edible due to its taste.
Application in traditional medicine: does not apply.
