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Mushrooms
Lactifluus edulis, the African milkcap, is a wild ectomycorrhizal mushroom of the miombo woodlands of tropical Africa. The Edible Fungi of Tropical Africa project lists it as an edible species.
Lactifluus edulis is a milkcap, a mushroom that exudes a white latex when cut. It was first described as Lactarius edulis by Verbeken and Buyck and transferred to Lactifluus by Buyck in 2011. The catalogue treats the name as a research label and records the synonym Lactarius edulis as a search alias.
The fruiting body is solid and fleshy. The cap is 50 to 150 mm across, convex and then flattened with a wide central depression. It is dry and matt at first and cracks in dry weather. The stipe is short and thick, 30 to 50 mm long, and almost white at the top. The gills are widely spaced, thick and brittle, and cream to pale yellow. The latex is abundant, white and mild. The spore print is whitish.
The species grows on the ground in open woodland and miombo, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with a wide range of host trees, among them Brachystegia, Uapaca and Julbernardia. The catalogue records its supply as wild.
The closest species is Lactifluus densifolius. In the field the two look very similar, and the EFTA description separates them mainly by gill density, which is very low in L. edulis. A field identification that relies on the cap colour alone is therefore not reliable.
The catalogue describes the species as a regional milkcap in the EFTA edible-species inventory, with food, market or specialist evidence. The EFTA description gives its taste as mild and pleasant, with a nutty note, and its smell as fruity. The sources give no preparation method, and the catalogue states that preparation, identity and current safety need separate validation before any use.
Inclusion in the catalogue does not establish identity, edibility or a safe preparation for this species. The catalogue's review labels are kept as supplied. The species assignment of regional records of Lactifluus in tropical Africa depends on matching the specimen to the EFTA illustrations and descriptions, and a specialist should confirm it. This page gives no edibility verdict for wild specimens.
The sources do not record local names, preparation or storage, or how much the species is gathered and sold. Confirmation of the Lactifluus edulis and Lactifluus densifolius records against herbarium material would settle the look-alike question.
Catalogued regional record; the EFTA page cites a Benin field guide among its illustrations.
Catalogued regional record; the EFTA page cites a Burundi field book on the mushrooms of western Burundi among its illustrations.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record; a Tanzanian mushroom book is among the EFTA illustrations.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
Catalogued regional record.
The African Caesar-group mushroom, Amanita masasiensis, is a wild ectomycorrhizal species of central and southern African woodlands, eaten locally. The genus contains deadly poisonous species, so identification needs care.
Parkia biglobosa seeds are fermented into regional West African seasonings, including nététou, iru, dawadawa and soumbala. The yellow fruit pulp is a separate food, and names and methods vary by place.
Afrocastellanoa ivoryana is a truffle-like false truffle of African woodlands, ectomycorrhizal with woodland trees and recorded as a regional wild food in West and Central Africa.
Amanita afrospinosa is a white, warted Amanita of miombo woodland in southern and central Africa. A regional food-use record exists, but the Amanita genus includes deadly species, so no safe use is established here.
Amanita loosei is a large wild Amanita of tropical African miombo and open woodland, gathered and sold as a valued seasonal food. Regional food-use evidence is not a guide to identifying wild mushrooms.
Calotropis procera preparations are documented as coagulants for wagashi gassirè in Benin and wara in Nigeria. Crude plant materials differ from purified research enzymes, and current evidence does not support a general home preparation.
A tropical African puffball recorded in West African range accounts and Ethiopian edible-mushroom studies. Ethiopian use evidence is qualified; Benin identification and safety remain unresolved.
A defined Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, 2Y48P22, was screened in 2010 for softening cassava in lafun experiments. It is an experimental candidate, not a household starter with a verified method.
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Edible Fungi of Tropical Africa (Meise Botanic Garden)Identification · Food · Ecology
Lactifluus edulis (Verbeken & Buyck) BuyckCap 50 to 150 mm across, first yellowish then pale orange to light reddish-brown; stipe 30 to 50 mm long, dry and solid; lamellae creamy to pale yellow and thick; latex abundant, white and mild
Ectomycorrhizal with a broad range of host trees, including Brachystegia, Uapaca and Julbernardia, in open forest and miombo
Easily confused with Lactifluus densifolius, which is very similar except for the much denser gills of that species
Odour fruity; taste mild and pleasant, nutty; the species was first described as Lactarius edulis by Verbeken and Buyck
Cited in: What the mushroom is; Habitat and ecology; Look-alikes; Food use as recorded; Identification and safety; Open questions