Lactarius torminosus - Woolly Milkcap

Taxonomy

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Russulales

This attractive milkcap is mycorhizal with birch trees, usually in open grassy sites at the edge of woodland or on heath rather than deep inside dense woods. If eaten without very careful preparation, Lactarius torminosus can cause very unpleasant stomach upsets. (Be warned: the Latin torminosus means 'cause of colic'.) Some authorities suggest that the Woolly Milkcap is edible after it has been salted and pickled, but many more assert that it should be treated as poisonous.

Identification Guide

Lactarius torminosus - Woolly Milkcap - side view of stem and gills

Lactarius torminosus, the Woolly Milkcap, grows beneath birch trees in damp areas, mainly on acid soil. In Britain it is a fairly rare species that occurs either solitarily or in small scattered groups. The distinctive shaggy margin of the cap makes identification extremely easy.

	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 pale pink gills exude a white or pale cream latex when damaged. The latex, which is very acrid, does not change colour as it dries.
Stem	1 to 2cm in diameter and 4 to 8cm tall, the cylindrical stems are paler than the cap. Stems of young specimens are downy and solid, but as the fruiting body matures the stems become smooth and hollow. There is no stem ring.
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 pubescens has a buff-white or cream, woolly cap and grows under birch on sandy soil.