Fleecy milk-cap Lactarius vellereus
inedible
It also tastes burning hot, and its spore print is white. The peppery milkcap, by contrast, has a smooth cap skin and very crowded gills.
View on the mapIdentification in 5 steps
The peppery milkcap is a large, pure white milk cap with very crowded gills and burning hot milk. It is inedible.
SeasonJuly to November
Spore printwhite
FamilyRussulaceae
- Cap. The cap is 8 to 20 cm wide, pure white, flat to funnel-shaped, with a smooth to matt surface.
- Underside. The gills are very crowded, white and run down the stem.
- Stem, ring and volva. The stem is short, thick and white; there is no ring and no volva.
- Smell and taste. The milk is burning hot at once; spit out the sample immediately.
- Flesh and colour change. The flesh is white, the milk white and hot.
Lookalikes
It is burning hot and inedible.
Milk-white brittlegill Russula delica
inedible
It has no milk.
View on the mapSide by side
| Peppery milkcap | Fleecy milk-cap | Milk-white brittlegill | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | 8 to 20 cm wide, pure white | 8 to 25 cm, white to cream, felty and hairy | 6 to 15 cm, white to cream, often dirty and blotchy |
| Underside | gills very crowded, white, run down the stem | gills distant, cream white, decurrent | gills broad, white, decurrent, no milk |
| Stem | short, thick | short, thick, felty | short, white |
| Flesh | white, milk white and hot | white, hard, milk white | white, breaks pale, no milk |
| Edibility | Inedible | inedible | inedible |
Habitat & Season
Calcareous deciduous woods. From the lowlands to the hills and mountains.
Host trees
Oak, beech, hornbeam.
Season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
possible good main season
In deciduous woods on lime-rich soils.
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
Burning hot.
Do not mistake it for mild milk caps.
Frequently asked questions
Is the peppery milkcap edible?
No, the peppery milkcap is not edible. Its milk is burning hot.
When and where does the peppery milkcap grow?
The peppery milkcap grows from July to November in deciduous woods on calcareous soils, mostly near oak, beech and hornbeam.
Which look-alikes can the peppery milkcap be mistaken for?
It can be mistaken for the fleecy milk-cap and the milk-white brittlegill. The fleecy milk-cap also tastes burning hot and has a white spore print, whereas the peppery milkcap has a smooth cap skin and very crowded gills. The milk-white brittlegill has no milk.
How do you recognise the peppery milkcap?
The spore print is white. The cap is 8 to 20 cm wide, pure white, flat to funnel-shaped, with a smooth to matt surface.
Related species
- Fleecy milk-cap Lactarius vellereus
- Delicious milk cap Lactarius deliciosus
- False saffron milkcap Lactarius deterrimus
- Salmon milkcap Lactarius salmonicolor
- Curry milkcap Lactarius camphoratus
- Woolly milkcap Lactarius torminosus
Sources
Photo credits
- Photo: Danny S. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Fleecy milk-cap: Photo: Annabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Milk-white brittlegill: Photo: Hg6996 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.