Lactarius quietus

Lactarius quietus, the Oak Milk Cap, appears in great abundance beneath oak trees even in areas where the soil is thin. The milk (latex) is mild, but this is an unpleasant-tasting milk cap, unfortunately, particularly in view of its abundance and widespread distribution.

Although it could be confused with several other medium-sized pale brown milk caps, the fact that it occurs only under oak trees is a great help in identifying this species. (When recording foray finds, it is always useful to note the tree species beneath which mushrooms occur, since this information often proves useful in eliminating look-alikes during the identification process.)

Cap	4 to 9 cm in diameter, convex and then slightly depressed, the caps are yellow-brown to reddish-brown with faint darker concentric zones. In wet weather the caps are shiny, but they dry to a dull matt finish.
Gills	Shortly decurrent, crowded and creamy-brown or pinkish yellow, the gills exude a mild-tasting creamy-white milk when they are damaged. As the fruiting body ages, the gills become noticeably more brown.
Stipe	5 to 10 mm in diameter and 5 to 7 cm tall, the cylindrical stem is the same colour as the cap but shading slightly darker towards the base. There is no stem ring.
Spore print	Pale creamy-white with a slight salmon pink tinge.
Odour/taste	Fruity smell; the milk (latex) has a mild taste, becoming bitter after a while.
Habitat	Under oak trees.
Season	August to October.
Occurrence	Frequent; often in large groups.
Similar species	Lactarius rufus is larger and darker and usually has a central umbo; it occurs under conifers and occasionally birch and releases a bitter latex when the gills are damaged.

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Lactarius quietus

Cap

Gills

Stipe

Spore print

Odour/taste

Habitat

Season

Occurrence

Similar species