Lactarius tabidus    Fr. 

common name(s) : Birch Milkcap 

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

synonyms: Lactarius theiogalus ss.auct. 

edibility : inedible

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

The cap is orange-brown to ochre buff, convex then quickly depressed, with a central umbo; its margin is wrinkled to slightly striate when damp. The cap surface is matt, non viscid, often wrinkled around centre.

The stem is same colour as cap or paler, cylindrical or tapering towards base, without ring.

The flesh is whitish to ochraceous pink, unchanging; its taste is mild or hot or bitter; the odour is not distinctive to slightly fruity; its texture is grainy (breaking like a chalk stick), exuding when cut a white milk, turning yellow when exposed to air.

The gills are cream to pinkish, decurrent to adnate, crowded (nb of gills per 90° ~ 28 ). The spore print is white. This species is mycorrhizal. It grows on the ground, in moist broad-leaved woods, amongst moss, in peatlands, on a rather acid soil, most of the time with birch, beech, but also with spruce.

The fruiting period takes place from June to December.
Dimensions: width of cap approximately 3.5 cm (between 1.5 and 8 cm)
  height of stem approximately 5 cm (between 2 and 7 cm)
  thickness of stem (at largest section) approximately 6 mm (between 2 and 10 mm)

Chemical tests : none.

Distinctive features : Thin orange-cream to orange-brown cap, wrinkled, with umbo; White profuse milk turning yellow in 15mns on handkerchief; in moist places

Lactarius tabidus is occasional and widely present in the forest of Rambouillet, and is frequent, more generally speaking .
here should be the distribution map of Lactarius tabidus in the forest of Rambouillet
Above : distribution map of Lactarius tabidus in the forest of Rambouillet



page updated on 14/01/18