Milk Mushrooms of North America: A Field Identification Guide to the Genus Lactarius Book

This is a comprehensive field guide to the milk mushrooms of North America. Featuring over 150 species and varieties, this volume includes detailed descriptions and more than 250 rich color photographs. The photographs were selected for high-quality color fidelity, documentary merit, and aesthetic appeal of the subject. The number of species described and illustrated in color, some for the very first time, is substantially more than has previously appeared in any other single work devoted to the milk mushrooms of North America. With accurate, detailed, and easy-to-follow descriptions, this volume is ideally suited for both amateur mushroom enthusiasts and professional mycologists. In addition to the descriptions and illustrations, it includes sections devoted to the features and process of identification, to the ecology of milk mushrooms, and to the edibility of members of the genus Lactarius. Additional sections for species related to Lactarius and hyperparasites of the genus are included in this field guide. Alan E. Bessette is a mycologist and professor emeritus of biology at Utica College and is the author of numerous books including Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States and North American Boletes: A Color Guide to the Fleshy Pored Mushrooms, both published by Syracuse University Press. David B. Harris is a mycologist and botanical photographer who has collected and studied the genus Lactarius in North America for over ten years. His photographs have won several awards in the North American Mycological Association's photo contests. Arleen R. Bessette is a mycologist and botanical photographer. She is the author of eleven books including The Rainbow Beneath My Feet:A Mushroom Dyer's Field Guide, also published by Syracuse University Press.