Lactarius pubescens - Bearded Milkcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

Lactarius pubescens is an uncommon but very attractive milkcap that grows, as so many of the larger milkcaps do, under birch trees. Its pale colour and woolly cap margin are useful distinguishing features.

This poisonous species, which looks like a somewhat smaller, pallid and rather badly sheared version of the equally toxic Woolly Milkcap, Lactarius torminosus, should not be gathered to eat.

Identification Guided

A group of Lactarius pubescens - Bearded Milkcap

Always associated with birch trees, this is a mushroom that is rarely seen, but where it does occur there are sometimes a dozen or more in a group.

	Cap 5 to 15cm in diameter, convex and then slightly depressed, the buff and pink caps are woolly, particularly at the inrolled margins and have slightly darker concentric circles, most noticeably towards the centre. Beneath the woolly cuticle, the thick cap flesh is white and brittle.
Gills	The shortly decurrent, crowded white gills are faintly tinged salmon pink; they exude a white latex when damaged.
Stem	10 to 23mm in diameter and 3 to 6cm tall, the stem usually tapers in slightly towards the base.
Spore print	Pale yellowish-cream.
Odour/taste	Slight odour of turpentine; hot acrid taste.
Habitat	Under birch trees.
Season	August to October.
Occurrence	Infrequent.
Similar species	Lactarius torminosus has a salmon pink woolly cap with a very fibrous inrolled margin; it also grows under birch.