Lactarius croceus

Appearance

Cap: 6–11 cm; convex with an inrolled margin when young; becoming centrally depressed, with an uplifted margin, or shallowly vase-shaped; sticky to tacky when fresh; bald, but finely rugged; pale to dark orange or brownish orange; with or without faint to moderate concentric zones of color.

Gills: Broadly attached to the stem or just beginning to run down it; close; short-gills frequent; orangish cream when young, becoming orangish with maturity; when fresh staining orangish yellow where damaged, then slowly brownish.

Stem: 3–5 cm long; 1–2 cm thick; more or less equal; bald; without potholes; dry; orangish cream to orange.

Flesh: Whitish; fairly firm; when fresh staining very slowly yellow to pale orange when sliced.

Milk: Scant; whitish; staining surfaces slowly yellow to pale orange; staining white paper yellow overnight.

Odor and Taste: Odor sharp and fragrant; taste quickly moderately acrid.

Distribution

Fairly widely distributed in eastern North America, but more common in the Appalachian Mountains.