Saffron Milkcap

Lactarius deliciosus

Pine forests, especially young ones, forests with pine. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies large. Cap 5-12 (17) cm across, fleshy, flattened, depressed, margins incurved, orange-red, with several concentric zones 1-3 mm wide, when old spotted green. Gills the colour of the cap; when broken or cut they exude orange milk that turns green after a while; adnate, subdecurrent. Stem 3-8x1-3 cm, the colour of the cap, spotted, turning green when pressed. Flesh juicy, white, yellowish, orange, firm; when broken or cut it exudes orange, greening, sharp-tasting milk. Characteristic features: yellowish-orange fruiting bodies turning green when broken or cut. Grows in autumn, even after frosts, less often in summer, in groups, at the grassy edges of pine forests. A very good edible mushroom, loved by everyone.