Fleecy milk-cap Lactarius vellereus
inedible
It has a felty, hairy cap, widely spaced gills and hot white milk.
View on the mapIdentification in 5 steps
The milk-white brittlegill is a large, white brittlegill without milk, often with a dirty, spotted cap. In Central Europe it is mostly hot-tasting and inedible.
SeasonJuly to November
Spore printwhite
FamilyRussulaceae
- Cap. The cap is 6 to 15 cm wide, white to cream, often dirty-spotted and dull.
- Underside. The gills are broad and white and run down the stem; there is no milk.
- Stem, ring and volva. The stem is short and white; there is no ring and no volva.
- Smell and taste. It tastes hot; do not taste it.
- Flesh and colour change. The flesh is white and breaks pale.
Lookalikes
It is mostly hot-tasting and inedible, and easily confused with milk caps.
Peppery milkcap Lactarius piperatus
inedible
It has a smooth cap skin and very crowded gills.
View on the mapSide by side
| Milk-white brittlegill | Fleecy milk-cap | Peppery milkcap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | 6 to 15 cm wide, white to cream | 8 to 25 cm, white to cream, felty hairy | 8 to 20 cm, pure white, smooth, dull |
| Underside | gills broad, white, running down the stem | gills widely spaced, cream-white, decurrent | gills very crowded, white, decurrent |
| Stem | short, white | short, thick, felty | short, thick, smooth |
| Flesh | white, breaks pale | white, hard, milk white | white, hard, milk white, plentiful |
| Edibility | Inedible | inedible | inedible |
Habitat & Season
Woodland soils, path verges. From the lowlands up to the hills and mountains.
Host trees
Spruce, pine, beech.
Season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
possible good main season
Under conifers and deciduous trees.
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.
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
Ireland
Poison centre:
National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166
Emergency: 112 · 999
Germany
Poison centre:
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.
Why it is not edible
Hot-tasting, no culinary value.
Milk caps have milk, brittlegills do not.
Frequently asked questions
Is the milk-white brittlegill edible?
No, the milk-white brittlegill is not edible. It is mostly hot-tasting and easily confused with milkcaps.
When and where does the milk-white brittlegill grow?
The milk-white brittlegill grows from July to November on woodland soils and path verges, under conifers and deciduous trees such as spruce, pine and beech.
Which look-alikes can the milk-white brittlegill be confused with?
You can confuse it with the fleecy milk-cap and the peppery milkcap. The fleecy milk-cap has a felty, hairy cap, widely spaced gills and hot white milk. The peppery milkcap has a smooth cap skin and very crowded gills. Both milk caps have milk; the milk-white brittlegill does not.
How do you recognise the milk-white brittlegill?
The spore print is white. The cap is 6 to 15 cm wide, white to cream, often dirty-spotted and dull.
Related species
- Variable brittlegill Russula versicolor
- Crowded russula Russula densifolia
- Russula solaris Russula solaris
- Charcoal burner Russula cyanoxantha
- Bare-toothed Russula Russula vesca
- The sickener Russula emetica
Sources
Photo credits
- Photo: Hg6996 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Fleecy milk-cap: Photo: Annabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Peppery milkcap: Photo: Danny S. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.