Species details
Curry milkcap
Lactarius camphoratus
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Strobilomyces · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A small reddish-brown milkcap with watery-white latex and a strong camphor/coumarin smell.
Identification features
The cap is up to about 5 cm wide, reddish-brown, and often bossed. Gills are crowded and similarly coloured. The stem is slender and reddish-brown; the flesh is strongly aromatic.
Identification checklist
The strongest clue is the camphor/coumarin smell. Also check the small reddish-brown cap, crowded gills, and watery-white latex.
Detailed features
- Cap
- The cap is up to about 5 cm wide, reddish-brown, and often bossed.
- Hymenophore
- Gills are crowded and similarly coloured.
- Stem
- The stem is slender and reddish-brown; the flesh is strongly aromatic.
- Smell
- Strong camphor- or coumarin-like smell.
Size
- Cap diameter
- 2–5 cm
Habitat
Grows in coniferous and deciduous woodland, including moss under beech, often in large groups, in summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October, November
Ecology
- Trophic mode
- Mycorrhizal
- Host trees
- Beech (Fagus), Spruce (Picea)
- Substrate
- Forest soil
- Notes
- Grows in coniferous and deciduous woodland, including moss under beech, often in large groups, in summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Lactarius rufus is usually larger and more acrid and lacks the same camphor smell. Odour may change in old or wet specimens.
Similar species
- Rufous milkcap (Lactarius rufus)
- Orange milkcap (Lactarius aurantiacus)
- Lactarius subdulcis
Interesting facts
Did you know? The strongest clue is the camphor/coumarin smell. Also check the small reddish-brown cap, crowded gills, and watery-white latex.