Will post photos in the comments but here are some details:

  • found in central BC, Canada
  • stipe and cap surfaces slimy
  • latex white at first, turning dark lilac after <5 mins
  • flesh dark lilac after being cut (<5 mins)
  • zonation on cap, not very distinct
  • I have a hard time with describing scent, almost like spicy cologne mixed with man-sweat? Or maybe spicy like a turnip?
  • latex spit test (courtesy of my partner) unpleasant, acrid but not extremely spicy
  • growing singly and in clusters of 8+
  • growing in forest dominated by older and younger poplar and some alder, a few spruce scattered throughout but mostly on the other side of the road and not in immediate area (if that makes a difference)
  • KOH negative but in all honesty I only let it sit 15-20 mins
  • the_artic_one@programming.devEnglish
    9·
    7 days ago

    You’re missing a very important detail: what part of the world did you find this in?

    It seems like it’s something like L. repraesentaneus though the KOH reaction on the cap should have been red. 15-20 minutes should be more than enough time for a KOH reaction but if you waited too long between picking the mushroom and putting the KOH on the cap you may have gotten a false negative.

    • Magpie@mander.xyzOPEnglish
      3·
      7 days ago

      Leave it to me to miss such a big detail, found in central British Columbia, Canada.

      I did the spot test within 30 mins of picking, my KOH is 5% but a few months old so could be starting to lose its juice. L. repraesentaneus does seem the best fit, the spruce population was definitely lacking in the area but there were some within 20 metres or so.

      • the_artic_one@programming.devEnglish
        4·
        7 days ago

        Oh cool, you’re close enough to me (Washington) that I can use my local resources to get closer.

        Look into Lactarius cascadensis and Lactarius cordovaensis (they may be the same thing).

        Paraphrased from Danny Miller https://www.alpental.com/psms/ddd/Lactarius/index.htm

        a lilac grey/cinnamon cap that is zoned. It is large, with gills the colour of the cap and a mild taste found under alder. It has watery-white latex that stains tissues pink/purple and a scrobiculate stem.

        Those are supposed to be pretty rare, if you’ve still got it, consider drying it and seeing if anyone from a local mycology club is interested in studying it.

        • Magpie@mander.xyzOPEnglish
          2·
          7 days ago

          Thanks, definitely a contender. The spot test could have been +yellow and just looked darker or simply wet because of the already yellow surface. The cap colour did look a lot more yellow than L. cascadensis/L. cordovaensis but seeing as there are so few available photos of those, it may not mean much (and some of the descriptions did mention a buff colour). Not sure if I’ll get back to my spot before they’re gone but I’ll see if I can grab another for storage and another spot test.