Peppery milk-cap

Appearance

''Lactifluus piperatus'' has a cap that varies from 6–16 cm across and is convex with a widely funnel-shaped center. The cap is creamy-white in colour, glabrous and not glossy; its surface may become cracked in dry locales. The stipe is white in colour, smooth, 3–7 cm long by 2–3 cm thick and is cylindrical, sometimes tapering towards the base.

There is a thick layer of firm white flesh, and the decurrent gills are particularly crowded and narrow, sharing the white colouration of the stem but becoming creamy with age. As with other species of ''Lactarius'', there is abundant milk, which is white, and dries olive-green. It has a white spore print with elongate, elliptic or amyloid spores which are ornamented, as with ''L. vellereus''. The spores measure from 6.5–9.5 by 5–8 μm, and have tiny warts.

''L. vellereus'' is larger with a thick stipe, woolly cap and less crowded gills, but is not as tall. ''Russula delica'' is similar in colour and shape, though has adnate blue-green tinged gills and no milk. ''L. deceptivus'' is also similar, but is differentiated by its less crowded gills, firmer cap margin and less acrid milk. Close to ''L. piperatus'' is ''L. glaucescens'', which is differentiated by its milk that dries with a greenish colour.

Distribution

''Lactifluus piperatus'' in the wide sense, i.e. including probably several species, is found in Europe, the Black sea region in northeastern Turkey, and eastern and central North America east of Minnesota. It has been accidentally introduced into Australasia, where it is found under introduced and native trees.

Habitat

It is found on the floor in deciduous woodland, particularly under beech , and can be found throughout summer and autumn and into early winter. It is relatively common, though not as common as the similar species ''L. vellereus''. ''L. piperatus'' is found solitarily or in scattered groups. It is sometimes found growing together with ''Russula cyanoxantha''.