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Camphor mushroom (Lactarius camphoratus), also called camphor milkweed, is a prominent representative of the lamellar fungi, family Russulaceae, genus Lactarius.
Description of camphor milk mushroom
According to numerous photos and descriptions, camphor milk mushroom can be imagined as a small brown mushroom with a reddish tint, quite fragile. In appearance, it is similar to rubles and red-brown milk mushrooms, but is less common than them.
Description of the cap
A young camphor milk mushroom has a convex cap; as it grows, it becomes flat or convex-spread with a diameter of 2 to 6 cm. It is often funnel-shaped in the middle, slightly depressed, and there may also be a small tubercle. The edges are ribbed and drooping. The surface of the cap is smooth, matte, its color can be from dark red to red-brown.
The lamellar layer is of a dark reddish hue, the plates themselves are wide, adherent or descending, and are often located. Dark spots can be seen on many specimens.
When cut, the flesh is reddish, loose, with an unpleasant odor reminiscent of camphor. When damaged, the mushroom secretes a white milky juice that does not change color in the air.
Spore powder is cream or white with a yellow tint. Under a microscope, the spores themselves have a round shape with a warty surface. Size is medium.
Description of the leg
The leg of the camphor milk mushroom is cylindrical in shape, can narrow towards the base, is not high, grows only 3-5 cm, the thickness varies from 0.5-1 cm. The structure is loose, quite dense, there is a cavity inside. Its surface is smooth, velvety under the cap, and smooth closer to the base. The color is identical to the cap, maybe several shades lighter, the stem darkens with age.
Where and how does it grow
Camphor mushroom can be found in coniferous and mixed, less often deciduous forests located in the temperate zone of Eurasia and North America. In Russia, it grows mainly in the European part, and can often be found in forests in the Far East.
They prefer loose and acidic soils and often grow near rotting fallen trees and on mossy ground.They form mycorrhiza with various species of coniferous trees, and sometimes with some types of deciduous trees.
It bears fruit from mid-summer to early autumn (from July to the end of September). It usually grows in large groups, less often in pairs or singly.
Doubles and their differences
The camphor milk mushroom has few duplicates, since its smell is quite unpleasant and difficult to confuse with other species. But there are still mushrooms that have a similar appearance:
- bitter – refers to the conditionally edible, twice the size of the milkweed, also distinguished by the absence of an unpleasant odor;
- milky brown-yellow – is inedible, characterized by the absence of an unpleasant odor, uneven red-orange color, changing when drying to milky juice and a cream-colored lamellar layer;
- redneck - another type of conditionally edible mushroom, which has a slightly similar smell and color, but at the same time has a darker lamellar layer with a slight purple tint;
- milkweed (red-brown milk mushroom) – is an edible mushroom that can be eaten even raw; it is larger in size and secretes milky juice more abundantly when damaged.
How to distinguish camphor milk from red and rubella
Camphor mushroom is easy to distinguish from similar ones, because it has an unpleasant odor. But it is worth noting that the intensity of the aroma weakens with age, changing to coconut, so it can easily be confused with rubella or red milk mushroom.
You can distinguish this species from the red-brown milk mushroom and rubella by color. In the camphor milkweed, the shade of the cap and stem is darker, while the lamellar layer has a color closer to brown (dark red), while in the rubella, the lamellar layer is whitish with a slight creamy tint.
On the cut, the color of the pulp is redder in the camphor milkweed, while after damage it becomes darker. And if you press on the surface of the cap, a dark brown spot with a golden brown tint will appear.
Another difference is the milky sap, which changes color in the air (in rubella it becomes translucent, and in red it acquires a brown tint).
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Camphor mushroom is one of the edible mushrooms, but due to its characteristic odor it is considered to be of low quality. The taste is sweetish, closer to fresh. It has no special nutritional value, as it requires preliminary long-term boiling.
How to cook camphor mushroom
Young camphor milk mushrooms are suitable for pickling and preparing seasonings.
Since the fruiting bodies have a lot of milky juice, before salting the mushrooms must be soaked for at least three days, periodically changing the water. Only after this do they start salting. The milk mushrooms themselves are laid out in layers in a deep container, sprinkling each layer with plenty of salt (you can add spices and herbs). Then they put it under pressure and salt it for a month. After this time, the mushrooms are transferred to jars and sent to the cellar for another month, after which they can be consumed.
To prepare the seasoning, camphor mushrooms are also pre-soaked and then dried naturally. Afterwards, the dried mushrooms are ground to a powder.
Conclusion
Camphor mushroom is a unique representative of the Milky genus, since it is edible, but at the same time, if improperly prepared, it can cause poisoning.In addition, due to the rather unusual pharmaceutical smell, many mushroom pickers completely neglect to collect this species.
