Lactarius insulsus or Peppery milk cap

Cap 5-12 cm, convex at first with an inrolled margin, later funnel-shaped. Cream to cream-ochre, with clear concentric darker zones of ochre or light brown. The surface is dry or slightly sticky in wet weather, with fine down near the margin in young specimens.

Cap 5-15 cm, convex at first with an inrolled margin, then flattened and finally funnel-shaped with a depressed center. Color white, creamy white, in mature specimens with a faint yellowish or ochre tint, especially in the center. Surface smooth, dry, matte, without zones, without a downy margin — this sets it apart from the “gruzd” group (Lactarius resimus, woolly milk cap, L. controversus).

Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, narrow, adnate or slightly decurrent. Whitish, becoming cream to pale ochre with age. When damaged, they release white milk. Spore print cream to pale ochre.

Gilled hymenophore with the most characteristic feature of the species — very crowded, thin, narrow gills that run down the stem. No other milk cap has gills this crowded. Color creamy white, graying where damaged. They release plenty of white milk. Spore print white.

Stem 3-6 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering toward the base, firm in young specimens, often hollow in mature ones. Whitish to cream, often with small ochre “pits” (scrobiculae) — a characteristic feature of some milk caps.

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 1.5-2.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering toward the base, firm, sometimes with small cavities in mature specimens. Color white. Surface smooth, dry, no ring and no volva.

Flesh white, firm, brittle. When damaged, it releases plenty of white milk that does not change color in the air. The cut flesh does not darken or turn yellow either.

Flesh white, very dense, fleshy, brittle. When damaged it abundantly releases white milk (there's a lot of it — a characteristic feature). The milk slowly turns yellow in the air after 1-2 hours; the reaction with alkali (KOH) is orange-yellow.

Smell faint, mushroomy, with no distinctive notes. The raw flesh and milk taste very hot, sharp, peppery. Don’t taste it raw — it will raise blisters on your tongue.

Smell faint, mushroomy, slightly resinous. Taste of the raw flesh and milk — extremely burning, sharp, purely peppery, without bitterness — one of the hottest among the milk caps. Touch your tongue to the cut and you'll feel a sharp “black pepper” sensation.