Lactarius salmonicolor or Rufous milk cap

Cap 3-10 cm, convex at first with a small umbo in the center, then flattened and finally funnel-shaped with a depressed center. Reddish brown, russet, brick-red; darker when young, paler and faded when old. The surface is dry, matte, slightly sticky in wet weather. The cap margin is even, inrolled in young specimens.

Cap 4-12 cm across, when young convex with an inrolled margin, becoming with age flattened and spread out with a funnel in the center. The cap skin is smooth, slimy in wet weather, dry and matte in dry weather. Color distinctly salmon-orange, often with darker concentric zones and greenish spots where damaged. The margin is smooth, even, not fluffy — an important difference from the woolly milk cap.

Gilled hymenophore. Gills crowded, narrow, adnate or slightly decurrent. Whitish to cream, taking on a russet tint with age, like the cap. When damaged, they release white milk. Spore print cream.

Gilled hymenophore — the gills are adnate or slightly decurrent, crowded, orange to salmon-pink, turn green 30-60 min after being touched. Spore print yellowish to ochre-orange.

Stem 4-8 cm tall, 0.7-1.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering toward the base, often hollow in mature specimens. Same color as the cap or slightly paler. The surface is dry, smooth, with no ring and no volva, often with whitish down at the base.

Stem 3-6 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, cylindrical, hollow inside when old. Color the same salmon-orange tone as the cap, with characteristic darker shallow pits on the surface — a typical feature of saffron milk caps ("dents"). No ring.

Flesh whitish or pinkish, firm in the cap, fibrous in the stem. When damaged, it releases abundant white milk that does not change color or turn yellow in the air. This is an important diagnostic feature — white, stable milk.

Flesh thin, brittle, salmon-orange. When damaged it releases orange milk, which gradually (after 30-60 min) turns wine-red in the air, while the flesh turns green where cut — a characteristic reaction that sets it apart from L. deliciosus (whose milk clearly turns green). Smell fruity-resinous, pleasant, taste mild, sweetish, not bitter.

Smell faint, slightly resinous, with no distinctive notes. The raw flesh and milk taste very hot, sharp, peppery. This is the best diagnostic: lick it and you’ll feel a sharp burning sensation on your tongue.

Pleasant, fruity and resinous with a hint of conifer needles — typical of saffron milk caps.