Species details

Beech milkcap

Lactarius blennius

Inedible
Beech milkcap – Lactarius blennius

Photo: Holger Krisp · CC BY 3.0 · Photo source · License

Description

An olive-grey to grey-green milkcap with a sticky cap and darker concentric blotches, characteristically associated with beech.

Identification features

The pale gills release white, distinctly acrid latex when damaged; the flesh is brittle and may grey slightly in air.

Identification checklist

Check the entire fruitbody for identification. An olive-grey to grey-green milkcap with a sticky cap and darker concentric blotches, characteristically associated with beech. The pale gills release white, distinctly acrid latex when damaged; the flesh is brittle and may grey slightly in air. Typical habitat: Deciduous woodland, especially beech woods, from summer into autumn.

How to separate similar species

Compare especially with these similar species: Lactarius fluens, Lactarius quietus, Lactarius species. Check the entire fruitbody, spore-bearing surface, stem, texture, changes after bruising and habitat. A single feature or photograph is not enough for reliable identification.

Habitat

Deciduous woodland, especially beech woods, from summer into autumn.

Fruiting period

July, August, September, October

Similar species

Extended-description sources