Indigo Milk Cap

(Lactarius indigo)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed

Minnesota

not listed

 
Indigo Milk Cap
 
Description

Indigo Milk Cap is a widespread but uncommon, distinctively colored mushroom. In the summer and fall it can be found on the ground alone, scattered, or in groups, in oak and pine woodlands. It grows on the roots of hardwoods, including oak, ironwood, and blue beech; and pines.

When young the cap is convex or depressed at the center and the margin is rolled inward. It is deep blue or medium blue and often has concentric rings of color. It is smooth, dry, and 2 to 6 in diameter. It is sticky or slimy when wet and exudes a bright dark blue latex or “milk” when cut. The latex eventually turns dark green when exposed to air. As the cap ages it becomes flat or vase-shaped, the color fades to silvery-blue, and it may develop greenish stains.

The flesh is whitish-blue. It stains blue when it is cut, then slowly turns green. It is edible and tastes mild to slightly bitter.

The gills are bright dark blue when young, becoming pale as they age, then yellowish at maturity. They are closely spaced and widely attached to the stalk, slightly running down the stalk on mature mushrooms.

The stalk is bright dark blue, silvery-blue, or grayish-blue, rigid, ¾ to 3 long, and ¾ to 1 in diameter. It is slimy when young but soon becomes dry. It often develops irregular pits. It becomes hollow when it ages.

The spore print is creamy yellowish.

 

Similar Species

Indigo Milk Cap is the only milk cap mushroom that “bleeds blue”.

Habitat and Hosts

Deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests. On the ground. Hardwoods, including oak, ironwood, and blue beech; and pines.

Ecology

Season

July to October

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

7/31/2024    
     

Occurrence

Widespread but not common

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi (fungi)

Subkingdom

Dikarya

Phylum

Basidiomycota (club fungi)

Subphylum

Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)

Class

Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)

Subclass

Agaricomycetidae

Order

Russulales

Family

Russulaceae (milkcaps, brittlegills, and allies)

Genus

Lactarius (common milkcaps)

Subgenus

Lactarius

Section

Deliciosi

   

Subordinate Taxa

Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo indigo)

Smaller Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo diminutivus)

   

Synonyms

Agaricus indigo

Lactarius canadensis

Lactifluus indigo

   

Common Names

Blue Lactarius

Blue Milk Mushroom

Indigo Lactarius

Indigo Milk Cap

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Mycorrhizal

A symbiotic, usually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the tiny rootlets of a plant, usually a tree.

Visitor Photos
 

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Lorna

Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

Only one found among pines.

   
     
Indigo Milk Cap    

Chris McKibben

Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

only one I could find. Surrounded by pine trees. Not sure on tree species.

     
Indigo Milk Cap    

Joan

Indigo Milk Cap    

By white pine

   

Mannix family

Indigo Milk Cap    

Rapidly growing to 4” in diameter approximately 10’ up the bank from the lake’s edge. Mostly conifer and birch forest.

   

Tammy

Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

this mushroom is huge and beautiful!

   

Murphy

Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

near pine tree in yard.

   

magic mountain mushroom hunters

Indigo Milk Cap    
     
Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

near 5 point lake

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

Cap

 

Cap

     
Indigo Milk Cap   Indigo Milk Cap

 

Cap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cap

     
Indigo Milk Cap    

Gills

 

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slideshow

Visitor Videos
 

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Other Videos

Lactarius Indigo Mushroom
foxfirevalleyvineyrd

About

Published on Jul 2, 2015

Lactarius Indigo Mushroom also known as Indigo Milk Cap. I found these while cleaning a fence row. I think they are one of the most beautiful and fascinating mushrooms in the woods.

Larry Grand - Lactarius indigo under a log
Bryan Cody

About

Published on May 30, 2014

This video is about Larry Grand - Lactarius indigo under a log

Edible Blue Mushroom: Lactarius Indigo!
David The Good

About

Published on Aug 12, 2015

More on Lactarius indigo, the edible blue mushroom, can be found in the great mushroom foraging books here: http://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/the-best-mushroom-foraging-books/

So - is this blue mushroom edible? Yes! Lactarius indigo (the indigo milk cap), the incredible edible blue mushroom, is a beautiful blue mushroom with a flavor something like a portobello, though the texture is somewhat grainier. Indigo milk caps are a rare wild food found beneath hardwoords. These particular mushrooms were found in the same field of open woods and grass where I've found Lactarius indigo two times in the past. Once you find a patch of indigo milk caps, keep checking back - chances are you'll find them again in the future. Foraging for mushrooms is a great hobby... why not start today?

Caution: Don't eat any wild mushrooms without checking with a local expert! I'm just this guy on YouTube, you know?

For more foraging, wild mushrooms, gardening and homesteading inspiration, visit www.thesurvivalgardener.com.

Lactarius indigo (the indigo milk mushroom) Wild, edible mushroom in Tx
Falcorr

About

Uploaded on Oct 10, 2009

smells like blueberries and taste soo good. they grow only in the woods under oak trees in tx. would go good on alfredo

Lactarius indigo
sporeprints

About

Uploaded on Aug 9, 2011

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 

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Ecker
7/20/2024

Location: Hudson WI

 

Joni Keim
10/10/2023

Location: Aitkin MN

Treble Skep
9/13/2022

Location: Bemidji, Minnesota

two groups in mature white pine & Norway pine woods.

kmjd
10/4/2021

Location: Antonio, MN

Lorna
9/30/2021

Location: Rice County, Lonsdale

Only one found among pines.

Indigo Milk Cap

Chris McKibben
9/19/2021

Location: Ottertail County, South of Frazee

only one I could find. Surrounded by pine trees. Not sure on tree species.

Indigo Milk Cap

Joan
8/30/2020

Location: Hennepin County

By white pine

Indigo Milk Cap

Mannix family
8/29/2020

Location: Sand Lake in the town of Sturgeon Lake MN, Pine County

Rapidly growing to 4” in diameter approximately 10’ up the bank from the lake’s edge. Mostly conifer and birch forest.

Indigo Milk Cap

Joan
10/6/2019

Location: Dayton, MN

By pine trees in my front yard. First time I’ve seen them.

Tammy
9/27/2019

Location: Nisswa, MN

this mushroom is huge and beautiful!

Indigo Milk Cap

Carrie Olson
9/14/2019

Location: Park Rapids MN

Backyard under a spruce tree

Murphy
9/23/2018

Location: Zimmerman MN

near pine tree in yard.

Indigo Milk Cap

Scott Lucas
9/17/2018

Location: Deerwood, MN (Larsen Lake)

 

magic mountain mushroom hunters
8/20/2016

Location: Hackensack, MN

near 5 point lake

Indigo Milk Cap

MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

 

 

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Created 10/10/2016

Last Updated:

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