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    Fleecy milk-cap

    Lactarius vellereus (Fr.) Fr. · Russulaceae

    Inedible

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Fleecy milk-cap
    Photo: Annabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The fleecy milkcap is a large, white milkcap with a velvety, felty cap skin and widely spaced gills. Its white milk is mild, but the flesh is burning hot.

    SeasonJuly to November
    Spore printwhite
    FamilyRussulaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 8 to 25 cm wide, white to cream, funnel-shaped, with a velvety, woolly surface.
    2. Underside. The gills are widely spaced and cream white.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is short, thick, white and felty. There is no ring or volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It tastes burning hot; spit out a taste sample immediately.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The flesh is white and hard, the milk white.

    Lookalikes

    Very acrid; inedible in central Europe.

    Habitat & Season

    Base-rich brown earths, limestone, marl. From the lowlands up into the hills and mountains.

    Host trees

    Beech, fir, oak, hornbeam.

    Season

    possible good main season

    Mushroom regions with a daily forecast

    There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.

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    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Not an edible mushroom: do not collect it for the kitchen.

    Advice for your country

    United Kingdom

    Poison centre:

    NHS 111 (England)111

    Emergency: 999 · 112

    Ireland

    Poison centre:

    National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166

    Emergency: 112 · 999

    Germany

    Poison centre:

    Giftnotruf Berlin030 19240Giftinformationszentrum München089 19240GIZ-Nord Göttingen0551 19240

    Emergency: 112

    Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).

    Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.

    Austria

    Poison centre:

    Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43

    Emergency: 112 · 144

    Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.

    Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.

    Conservation and collecting rules

    Not specially protected.

    Salzburg: collecting inedible mushrooms is banned.

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    Why it is not edible

    Burning hot. In eastern Europe it is eaten after extensive pre-treatment.

    We do not recommend eating it.

    Frequently asked questions

    Fleecy milk-cap: is it edible?

    No, it is considered inedible. Very acrid; inedible in central Europe.

    Fleecy milk-cap: when and where does it grow?

    In central Europe the season runs from July to November. Tree partners and habitat: Beech, fir, oak, hornbeam. Soil: Base-rich brown earths, limestone, marl. Elevation: From the lowlands up into the hills and mountains.

    Fleecy milk-cap: what are the lookalikes?

    The most important distinction is from Peppery milkcap (Lactarius piperatus, inedible): It has a smooth cap skin and very crowded gills. Other lookalikes: White brittlegills.

    Related species

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    Sources

    Photo credits

    No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.

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