Lactarius zonarius (Zoned Milkcap)

Lactarius zonarius – Edible

Deciduous forests with oak, hornbeam, aspen. Summer, autumn.

Fruiting bodies medium-sized and larger. Cap 3-10 cm across, domed, later convex-flattened, broadly depressed, the margins long remaining inrolled, bent downwards, slimy, pale ochre, straw- or orange-coloured, zoned, less so in the middle. Gills whitish, later brownish-yellow, forked, running down the stem. Stem 2-4x0.5-2 cm, white when young, later the colour of the cap. Flesh white, firm, turning yellow and brownish when broken or cut. The milk is white, does not change colour, slightly bitter in taste. Characteristic features: grows in oak woods or deciduous forests. Appears singly or in small groups in deciduous forests on calcareous soil with oak, likes its company. Rare. Edible.