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Mushrooms
Lactifluus gymnocarpus is an African milkcap, a wild woodland mushroom of the Lactifluus group, recorded as an edible species in West and Central Africa.
Lactifluus gymnocarpus is a milkcap in the genus Lactifluus, formerly placed in Lactarius and still listed under that name as a search alias. The catalogue calls it the African milkcap. It appears in the EFTA inventory of edible species.
The catalogue treats the name as a research label. It has not been checked against a current taxonomic authority for this record, and the sources reviewed do not settle its current accepted name.
The species is ectomycorrhizal. It grows in moist, dry and gallery forest, where it forms partnerships with tree roots and fruits on the ground. The catalogue gives it as wild in supply.
The EFTA record places Lactifluus gymnocarpus in its inventory of edible species for Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The record states that preparation, identity and current safety require separate validation.
A taxonomic note on the closely related Lactifluus gymnocarpoides describes it as macroscopically similar to L. gymnocarpus, with wide, spaced whitish gills that are usually brown-stained. In open forest with Uapaca it occurs next to two similarly edible species. That observation concerns the related species, not this one, and should not be read as a statement about L. gymnocarpus.
This page does not establish that the species is safe to eat, and it is not an identification guide. Milkcaps are often difficult to separate by appearance, and the sources reviewed give no toxicity or lookalike assessment for this species. Anyone gathering it should identify it with an expert before eating it.
Listed in the EFTA edible-species inventory.
Listed in the EFTA edible-species inventory.
Listed in the EFTA edible-species inventory.
Listed in the EFTA edible-species inventory.
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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EFTAFood use · Regions · Ecology
Lactifluus gymnocarpusEdible-species inventory entry for Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and DR Congo
Ectomycorrhizal habitat in moist, dry and gallery forest; wild supply
EFTARelated species
Lactifluus gymnocarpoides (Verbeken) VerbekenMacroscopic similarity to L. gymnocarpus; Uapaca woodland with similarly edible species