Description
Lactarius vietus typically has a cap of 2.5 to 7.5 centimetres (1.0 to 3 in) across, with a flattened-convex shape. At times, the cap becomes widely funnel-shaped, and sometimes features a broad or pointed umbo, though the centre of the cap is typically depressed. The cap is coloured grey, sometimes with violet, flesh-coloured, pale yellowish-brown or red tints, though it is paler towards the cap margin in young mushrooms. Very pale specimens have also been recorded in the United States, though they are not true albinos. The cap's margin is curved inwards in younger specimens, and wavey. The cap surface is smooth, and can be slimey or sticky when wet. The stem measures 2.5 to 8 centimetres (1.0 to 3 in) by 2 to 7 centimetres (0.8 to 3 in), and is generally cylindrical in shape. Sometimes the stem narrows downwards, or is club-shaped. In colour, the stem whitish or greyish, paler at the top, and is rather weak and easily broken. The flesh is a whitish-buff colour, and is often absent in the stem, leaving it hollow. The crowded gills are can be decurrent (with the gill running down the stem) or adnate (with the entire depth of the gill connecting to the stem), and in colour are whitish to a dirty buff. They are thin and flaccid, and there are three to four tiers of lamellulae (short gills that do not reach the stem from the cap margin). The gills produce white milk, which dries a brownish or greenish grey after about 20 minutes. The mushroom flesh will slowly stain a greyish colour if a drop of FeSO4 solution is applied to it as a chemical colour test.
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