Saffron milkcap - Lactarius deliciosus

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Edible mushroom - novice Season - late summer to autumn ​ Common names Saffron milkcap, delicious milkcap, red pine milkcap, red pine mushroom, pine milkcap

Scientific name meaning: Lactarius is Latin and means to lactate (produce milk). Deliciosus is also Latin and means delicate or delicious

Habitat

The saffron milkcap is a mycorrhizal mushroom growing in association with pine.

Overall structure and growth

An orange-coloured mushroom, often with green bruising, it can be found as lone specimens but more likely fruiting in groups.

Cap

The cap is pink-orange in colour with faint concentric rings. It starts off convex and then forms a central depression - old specimens almost funnel-like. It feels granulated when dry and sticky when wet. It bruises green where damaged and is 5 to 20cm wide.

Gills, milk and spores

The pale orange gills are crowded, slightly decurrent (running down the stem) and stain green when damage. The milk is scant and ornage at first, slowly turning vinaceous. The spore colour is buff.

Stem

The stem is round 1 to 2cm wide and 5 to 8cm tall. It is hollow, cylindrical and tapers towards the base. It is pale orange, bruised green where damaged, and has deep-orange pits. There is no ring/skirt.

​Flesh, smell and taste

The flesh is white in the centre of the stem, pale peach in the cap, and bright orange near the surface. The flesh bruises orange, then slowly vinaceous, and finally green. The taste of the milk is mild going slightly bitter. It has a fruity smell and the spore colour is buff.

​Possible lookalikes

The poisonous woolly milkcap (Lactarius torminosus), pictured, does look similar but has hairs on the edge of its cap, white acrid milk, white gills and grows with birch.

Could also be confused with any of the orange milk producing Lactarius, all of which are edible.

Use as a food An excellent edible mushroom, which should be cooked. Tends to keep good texture after cooking. Particularly nice as a pickled mushroom ​ Hazards This mushroom can grow near roadsides where it can accumulate pollutants. It is advisable to avoid harvesting from the sides of busy roads

Use in herbal medicine and medicine Laboratory tests have shown some antimicrobial and antioxidant activity 

If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner ​ Other uses None known at time of writing ​ Importance to other species Provides food for a number of invertebrates. Specimens are more likely to have livestock in them than not

Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!

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