A grey-lilac to violet-brown, slimy-stemmed milk cap of moist boreal birch and spruce forests. Its white latex dries yellowish green, and damaged gills turn grey-green. It is common in Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia; its occurrence in North America is uncertain.
Edibility disputed; not recommended. Nordic sources treat it as edible only after parboiling in plenty of water that is then discarded. The City of Vienna mushroom service lists it as inedible. The raw latex is acrid.
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Mycorrhizal with birch and spruce in moist, mossy coniferous and mixed forests; summer to late autumn.
Distribution
Northern Europe, especially Fennoscandia and northwestern Russia. MushroomExpert.com notes that several North American species, such as the oak-associated L. argillaceifolius, resemble it. North American reports under this name need confirmation.
Characteristics
Cap: convex becoming depressed; grey-lilac, violet-grey, violet-brown to yellow-grey, often faintly zoned and with darker spots. Gills: adnate to slightly decurrent, cream-white to pale yellow or pinkish yellow, turning grey-green where damaged. Stem: paler than the cap, light brownish, slimy, hollow but firm, sometimes with pits. Flesh: white, slightly browning, lilac-grey under the cap skin. Latex: white, slowly drying yellowish green to yellowish. Odor: fruity. Taste: mild at first, then very sharp.
