taste extremely bitter; UV rxn on flesh & context yellow with bits of orange; observed with @sigridjakob
Small hypogeous gasteroid basidiomata, exterior light peach color, interior light yellow, composed of convoluted hymenium. Spores ellipsoid, rugulose, with small hilar appendage, 14–16 x 10.4–11 μm; walls 1.5–2 μm thick; starting light yellow, becoming brown. Basidia 34 x 9.4 μm; mostly 2-spored.
Partially buried in soil, on shaded slope dominated by manzanita, also with Eriodictyon, Prunus, and Ribes, with Quercus cornelius-mulleri about 20 ft away.
With Arctostaphylos.
Anza Borrego
Growing on the trunks of tree ferns, photographed on black velvet.
No distinct odor, mild flavor with very slight nuttiness, gleba and peridium yellow in KOH. Planted young scrub oak and chamise nearby. Ascosppores amyloid
Rodent digs found throughout the area exclusively under chamise. Manzanita also present, and interior live oak within 100 feet, but digs were only under chamise. Digging revealed that the mycelial mat that truffles were found in and smelled the same dissipated with distance from chamise. Melanogaster also mixed in and more abundant. Parts of the mycelial mat smelled like Melanogaster and parts smelled like these -- distinctly of oil paint. Woodrat nest about 8 feet away.
In canyon wall and soil clinging to underside of boulder with roots nearby, presumably belonging to the Quercus chrysolepis uphill. Alder and bay laurel also nearby, alder being downhill near the stream
Microscopy by @rudydiaz:
FDS-CA-00356
Polyporaceae
Hyphae dimitic; first type 3-4.3 µm thick, with patches of encrustations; second type 2.9 µm thick.
Clamp connections present, sparse. Basidia 4-spored.
Spores: Elliptical, slightly roughened;
(8.6) 9.5 - 10.8 (11.5) × (3.7) 3.74 - 4.8 (4.9) µm
Q = (2.1) 2.2 - 2.6 (2.7) ; N = 30
Me = 10.1 × 4.2 µm ; Qe = 2.4.
10.51 4.56
10.35 4.90
9.98 4.04
8.56 3.74
9.69 3.70
10.09 3.95
9.53 3.74
10.24 4.06
9.46 4.00
10.42 4.29
10.08 4.55
10.37 4.12
10.81 4.82
10.13 3.90
10.32 4.42
11.49 4.79
10.19 3.85
9.42 4.22
9.71 4.30
9.43 3.68
9.88 3.82
9.70 3.74
10.13 4.43
10.19 4.00
10.84 4.09
10.49 4.02
9.71 3.80
11.15 4.91
9.90 4.56
11.43 4.59
Widely scattered.
hypogeous under oaks
exudes white latex
nearest match to another hypogeous Lactarius in Oregon 559/567(99%)
next to Arctostaphylos pungens
Growing under Manzanita with oak and conifers nearby; solitary fruitbody; no distinctive odor; taste initially was mild but slowly became slightly bitter/unpleasant; pores looked creamy white at first, but it looked like they actually had a very slight pink undertone, which was difficult to capture in the photos; bright yellow toward the base of the stipe becoming gradually most intense at the tip; scrobiculations at the base of the stipe; did not really stain at first, but later (after maybe an hour or two) when I scored the pores it darkened a little; later that night when I was cutting it to put in the dehydrator there were some pale dull bluish-grey discolorations in the context that started to fade probably within about 15-20 minutes.
North of the Grand Canyon in the spruce and pines of Kaibab forest
Red squirrel - mogollonensis subspecies