Species details

Bearded milkcap

Lactarius pubescens

Conditional / expert preparation
Bearded milkcap – Lactarius pubescens

Photo: Mushypic · CC BY 3.0 · Photo source · License

Description

A pale pink to cream milkcap with a hairy cap margin, characteristically under birch.

Identification features

Latex is white and acrid; young caps have a distinctly woolly-hairy margin.

Identification checklist

Check the entire fruitbody for identification. A pale pink to cream milkcap with a hairy cap margin, characteristically under birch. Latex is white and acrid; young caps have a distinctly woolly-hairy margin. Typical habitat: Grassland, parks and open woodland under birch.

How to separate similar species

Compare especially with these similar species: Lactarius torminosus, Lactarius quietus. Check the combination of cap shape and colour, spore-bearing surface, stem, flesh changes and habitat. A single feature or photograph is not enough; if the key characters do not match the description, do not treat the identification as confirmed.

Habitat

Grassland, parks and open woodland under birch.

Fruiting period

July, August, September, October, November

Similar species

Extended-description sources