Cap: width 30-80 mm. Stem: length 40-80 mm; width 10-15 mm.
Cap and stem: milky cocoa-coloured, zoned with reddish brown.
Gills: pale ochraceous then flushed red-brown.
Flesh: similar to gills, smelling strongly of rancid oil, and exuding a white, thin milk-like liquid which becomes very, very faintly yellow on exposure to the air.
Common wherever oak is growing.
L. rufus (Fries) Fries Rufous milk-cap
Cap: width 50-90 mm. Stem: length 50-90 mm; width 10-15 mm.
Cap: dark red-brown with a distinct, usually sharp ‘bump’ in centre.
Stem: pale red-brown throughout or whitish at base.
Gills: pale reddish brown and exuding a white, unchanging milk-like fluid.