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    Salmon milkcap

    Lactarius salmonicolor R.Heim & Leclair · Russulaceae

    ✓ EdibleRisk of confusion: medium

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    Identification in 5 steps

    Salmon milkcap
    Photo: Holger Krisp · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    The salmon milkcap is a salmon-orange milkcap with no green tones that grows only under silver firs. Its orange milk slowly turns wine brown.

    SeasonJuly to November
    Spore printpale ochre
    FamilyRussulaceae
    1. Cap. The cap is 4 to 12 cm wide, pale to deep salmon orange, faintly zoned, with no green spots.
    2. Underside. The gills are salmon orange.
    3. Stem, ring and volva. The stem is orange, with pitted spots. There is no ring or volva.
    4. Smell and taste. It smells fruity; the milk tastes slightly bitter.
    5. Flesh and colour change. The milk is orange and slowly turns wine brown.

    Lookalikes

    Grows only under silver firs; the orange milk tells it apart from poisonous milkcaps with white milk.

    Habitat & Season

    Rather calcareous soils in fir woods. Mountain areas where fir occurs.

    Host trees

    Silver fir.

    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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    Chance near you

    How good are the chances of finding this species where you are right now? We calculate it from weather, soil moisture, altitude and forest at your location.

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    Safety

    Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Only eat mushrooms you have identified with certainty, and always cook them thoroughly.

    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.

    No species-specific rule known.

    Red List Germany: Least concern

    In the kitchen

    Fried or grilled. Fry until well cooked through.

    Not very suitable.

    Frequently asked questions

    Salmon milkcap: is it edible?

    Yes, it is considered an edible mushroom. Fry until well cooked through. Grows only under silver firs; the orange milk tells it apart from poisonous milkcaps with white milk.

    Salmon milkcap: when and where does it grow?

    In central Europe the season runs from July to November. Tree partners and habitat: Silver fir. Soil: Rather calcareous soils in fir woods. Elevation: Mountain areas where fir occurs.

    Salmon milkcap: what are the lookalikes?

    The most important distinction is from Woolly milkcap (Lactarius torminosus, poisonous): It has white, acrid milk and a shaggy margin. Other lookalikes: Saffron milkcap, False saffron milkcap.

    Related species

    Mushroom trainer: test yourself

    Sources

    Photo credits

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

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