Lactarius piperatus   (L.) Pers. (1797)                                                                  *Collections: Europe

Lactarius piperatus is the "classic" milk cap and the Type Species for Genus Lactarius. It stands apart by its white coloration overall, very crowded gills and peppery acrid white milk. In some parts of Europe it is consumed after being treated to defeat the peppery taste, but all my attempts to discover is as a decent edible have been less than satisfactory. In some years this mushroom fruits in staggering quantities. There is a very similar mushroom by the same name in Eastern North America. There is no similar species in the American West.

Sometimes it fruits in abundance