Local Name
Arq’a (1), Rdziana-Sok’o (kakh.), Pach’ich’a-Sok’o (kartl., mtiul.), Varq’a-Sok’o (imer.), Sok’o-Impila (gur.), Pirpila (adjar.) (2), Arq’a (rach.) (3), Sok’opirpila (megr.) (4), Sok’opilpilai (gur.) (5), Varq’a (jav.) (6), Arq’ai (svan.) (7).

Description
Cap: The cap is 6–18 cm, broadly convex, becoming flat, shallowly depressed, or vase-shaped, dry, the margin even, bald, white or whitish, sometimes discoloring a little yellowish or brownish with age. Gills are attached to the stem or running slightly down it, very crowded, forking frequently, white becoming pale cream. Stem: The stem is 3–7 cm tall, 1–3 cm thick, white, more or less equal, or tapering a little to base, bald, without potholes, solid. Flesh: The flesh is white, thick, hard, sometimes discoloring yellowish with age, odor not distinctive, taste excruciatingly acrid. Milk copious, white, unchanging after exposure, or changing slowly to yellowish. Spores: The spores are 5–10 X 5–8 µm, nearly globose or broadly ellipsoid, with low warts, colourless.
Habitat: On soils, in mixed woodland, both in leafy and coniferous forests, often found at the base of beech trees. Season: Summer, autumn.
Distribution: All regions of Georgia (8).

Uses
Edibility: Edible when marinated (must be boiled first) (1).

Racha — “Often found on soils, they are whitish-milky and bitterish, we clear, pickle, fry and then eat them” (3), “sometimes found in a large amount, we marinate and store them for the winter” (10). Guria — “This mushroom is bitterish when uncooked, but tasty when cooked” (5). Adjara — “P’irp’ila mushroom is bitterish like black pepper when uncooked, but very tasty when cooked” (9). Svaneti — “This mushroom is white, with whitish-milky juice and poisonous when uncooked, locals determine by the amount of these mushrooms — will be snow in winter or not” (7). Kakheti — “Varq’a mushrooms are very bitter, you must rinse them 5–6 times and then season with vinegar and coriander” (11). Imereti — “There are in a quite large amount Varq’a mushrooms here, in our region, although they are bitter, but when cooked they are good, we often marinate and store them for the winter” (12).

References
1. Nakhutsrishvili, I.G. (2007) Fungi of Georgia. Tbilisi: Buneba Printi.
2. Makashvili, A. (1991) Botanical Dictionary. Tbilisi: Metsniereba.
3. Kobakhidze, A. (1987) Dictionary of the Rachan Dialect. Tbilisi: Metsniereba.
4. Kobalia, A. (2010) Megrelian Dictionary. Tbilisi: Artanuji Publishing.
5. Sharashidze, G., Tsereteli, B., Alavidze, M. (1938) Lexicon of the Kartvelian languages. Gurian, Zemoimeretian, Lechkhumian Dialects. Tbilisi: Publishing House of Georgian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
6. Zedginidze, G. (2014) Javakhian Dictionary. Tbilisi: Saunje.
7. Liparteliani, A. (1994) Svan-Georgian dictionary. Cholur dialect. Tbilisi.
8. Nakhutsrishvili, I.G., et al. (1986) Flora of Spore-producing Plants of Georgia (Summary). Tbilisi: Metsniereba (Russian).
9. Ghlonti, A. (1974) Dictionary of the Georgian Dialects. Vol. I. Tbilisi: Ganatleba.
10. Melashvili, N. (2014) Vlg. Uravi, Ambrolauri.
11. Brekashvili, L. (2015) Vlg. Zemo Bodbe, Sighnaghi.
12. Mirotadze, I. (2016) Chiatura.