FunDiS West Coast Rare Fungi Challenge



Description
It will ooze a bit of dark red milk when cut open, and it has a mild to slightly sweet smell. Typically in truffles, spores remain inside the fruitbody and are not actively shot off, like in gilled cap-and-stem mushrooms. L. rubriviridis breaks this rule, and the spores are still shot off from the basidia.
What else could it be?


Never eat wild mushrooms without a confident identification!
Contact Poison Control if you think you have eaten a poisonous mushroom: 1-800-222-1222
When & Where



More information
Siegel N. 2020. Lactarius rubriviridis. The Global Fungal Red List Initiative.
iucn.ekoo.se/iucn/species_view/373910/
Desjardin, DE. 2003. A unique ballistosporic hypogeous sequestrate Lactarius from California. Mycologia, 95(1), 148–155.
doi:10.1080/15572536.2004.11833144
Kuo, M. 2009, Dec. Lactarius rubriviridis. Retrieved from MushroomExpert.com
mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_rubriviridis.html
What to do if you find it:
Make an observation

The best thing you can do is take lots of photographs and notes. Typically, smartphones will automatically georeference any photos taken, but it is good practice to note your exact location, preferably with GPS coordinates, and be sure to note what trees are nearby. For example, was the mushroom growing from duff and humus, or from bare soil? Did it have a particular smell?
Collect a specimen
If you are in an area where it is allowed and have any necessary permits, we strongly urge you to create a vouchered collection. This means a dried specimen for deposit in a herbarium, where researchers can access it for things like DNA sequencing. If you don’t know how to do this, please see:
fundis.org/sequence/sequence/dry-your-specimens
In California, collecting mushrooms is usually allowed in National Forests with a permit. Permits can be obtained at the headquarters of the National Forest you're visiting, and are usually inexpensive or free. However, restrictions vary among the individual National Forests, so make sure to find out the specifics when picking up your permit. State and County Parks generally do not allow mushroom picking, but regulations vary, so make sure to check your destination before you go out. In Oregon, most State and Federal lands allow collecting up to a gallon without a permit, but again, regulations vary, so check ahead of time. In BC, collecting is allowed on Crown land without a permit, but it’s illegal to pick mushrooms in a provincial or national park.
Don’t foget to look for other mushrooms and fungi while you’re there! Since you’ve already got iNaturalist open, why not record your other finds?
Most mushrooms are like fruit: picking an apple from an apple tree doesn’t hurt the tree. In the same way, harvesting mushrooms does not generally hurt the mycelium of the fungus. We do still recommend leaving some mushrooms behind, and not picking perennial mushrooms, like brackets and conks.
Who to contact
If you think you’ve found this mushroom, and you’re not sure about any of the above, such as how to report the find, whether you can collect it, or what to do with it once you have collected it, please contact us!