Lactarius piperatus    (L.:Fr.) Pers. 

common name(s) : Peppery Milkcap 

New classification: Basidiomycota/Agaricomycotina/Agaricomycetes/Incertae sedis/Russulales/Russulaceae  
Former classification: Basidiomycota/Homobasidiomycetes/Agaricomycetideae/Russulales/Russulaceae  

synonyms: Lactarius pargamenus ss.Romagn. 

edibility : discard

photo gallery of  Lactarius piperatus
photo gallery of  Lactarius piperatus potential confusions with  Lactarius piperatus toxicity of Lactarius piperatus genus Lactarius  

The cap is white, stained with ochre. The cap surface is without concentric bands, not viscid nor sticky.

The stem is white, without ring.

The flesh is white, turning yellow slowly when exposed to air; its taste is acrid and peppery; the odour is faint; its texture is grainy (breaking like a chalk stick), exuding when cut a white milk, turning yellow or green very slowly.

The gills are cream, decurrent to adnate, crowded (nb of gills per 90° ~ 40 ). The spore print is white. This species is mycorrhizal. It grows on a rather clayey-calcareous or acid soil, with beech, oak, hornbeam, hazel, pine.

The fruiting period takes place from June to December.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 11 cm (between 4 and 20 cm)
  height of stem approximately 8 cm (between 3 and 15 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 25 mm (between 15 and 40 mm)

Chemical tests : none.

Distinctive features : white cap, smooth and not velvety, funnel-shaped, shallow; very crowded, decurrent gills; milk white, unchanging, very hot

Lactarius piperatus is quite rare and localised in the forest of Rambouillet, and is frequent, more generally speaking .
here should be the distribution map of Lactarius piperatus in the forest of Rambouillet
Above : distribution map of Lactarius piperatus in the forest of Rambouillet



page updated on 14/01/18