Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the saffron milk cap and red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. It is native to Europe, but has been accidentally introduced to other countries along with pine trees, with which the fungus is symbiotic. Taxonomy The species was known to Carl Linnaeus, who officially described it in the second volume of his Species Plantarum in 1753, giving it the name Agaricus deliciosus. The specific epithet is derived from Latin deliciosus, meaning "tasty". The Swedish taxonomist allegedly gave the species its epithet after smelling it and presuming it tasted good, perhaps confusing it with a Mediterranean milk cap regarded for its flavor. Dutch mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon added the varietal epithet lactifluus in 1801, before English mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray placed it in its current genus, Lactarius, in 1821 in his The Natural Arrangement of British Plants. It is commonly known as saffron milk-cap, red pine mushroom, or simply pine mushroom in English. An alternative North American name is orange latex milky. Its Spanish name varies (, nícalo, ...). Its Catalan name is (pl. rovellons). In the Girona area, it is called a (in Catalan) because it is collected near wild pine trees; it is typically harvested in October following the late August rains. Both this and L. deterrimus are known as "kanlıca", "çıntar" or "çam melkisi" in Turkey. In Romania, it is known as Rascovi and it can be found in the northern regions in autumn season. Description Lactarius deliciosus has a carrot-orange cap that is convex to vase shaped, inrolled when young, across, often with darker orange lines in the form of concentric circles. The cap is sticky and viscid when wet, but is often dry. It has crowded decurrent gills and a squat orange stipe that is often hollow, long and thick. The flesh stains a deep green color when handled. When fresh, it exudes an orange-red latex that does not change color. The mushroom is similar to L. rubrilacteus, which stains blue, exudes a red latex, and is also edible. It also resembles L. olympianus, which has white latex and tastes unpleasant. Chemistry When grown in liquid culture, the mycelium of Lactarius deliciosus produces a mixture of fatty acids and various compounds such as chroman-4-one, anofinic acid, 3-hydroxyacetylindole, ergosterol, and cyclic dipeptides. Distribution and habitat L. deliciosus grows