Lactarius argillaceifolius var. megacarpus  Hesler & A.H. Sm. (1979)   *Collections: Calfiornia

This rather robust and firm milk cap is very abundant in Calfironia under Live Oak. It occurs under Tanoak too, but in lesser numbers. It has a white acrid milk and there isn't much data on edibility. When I first started going to the woods I was very impressed by its size. The gills bruise brownish and the entire fruitbody discolors into orange-brown as it matures. As this species decays slowly the large fruitbodies can stay erect for weeks like remnants of petrified, prehistoric mushrooms. It should also be pointed out that this species needs to receive a new name as molecular studies have shown that it is not conspecific with the Eastern North American L. argillaceifolius var. argillaceifolius