About Lactarius olympianus Hesler & A.H.Sm.
The cap of Lactarius olympianus is orange, measuring 5 to 10 centimeters in diameter. It is depressed at the center, and often bears concentric color zones. The gills are yellowish or cream-colored, sometimes turning brown when stained, and they attach to the stipe in an adnate to subdecurrent arrangement. The stipe is white, 2 to 5 centimeters long, and up to 2 centimeters wide, and it develops yellowish to brownish discoloration when bruised. The spore print of this mushroom is creamy in color. When cut, the mushroom produces milky white latex, and it has an acrid taste. Lactarius olympianus is a mycorrhizal species found in the Western United States. It grows at high elevations underneath fir and spruce trees. In the Cascade Range, it occurs more commonly with fir on the western side of the mountains, and with Engelmann spruce on the eastern side.
