Weeping milk cap or Rufous milk cap

Cap 5-12 (rarely up to 15) cm, convex with an inrolled margin at first, then flattening out with a depressed center. Color orange-brick, rusty brown, apricot — brighter in young specimens, darker in old ones. The surface is dry and smooth, and may crack finely with age. No concentric zones. The cap margin is even.

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.

Gilled hymenophore. The gills are crowded, narrow, attached or slightly decurrent down the stem. Color pale cream to yellowish; when damaged they darken to brown (a typical reaction for Lactifluus). They exude abundant white milk. Spore print white.

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.

Stem 5-10 cm tall, 1.5-2.5 cm thick, cylindrical or slightly tapering downward, firm, sometimes with small cavities in mature specimens. Same color as the cap or a little lighter — orange-cream. The surface is smooth, no ring and no volva.

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.

Flesh whitish to yellowish, meaty, firm; when cut it slowly darkens to brown within 5-15 minutes — this is a characteristic identification reaction. When damaged it exudes very abundant white milk (hence «molochai», from the word for milk — there's so much that it runs down your hand), which also darkens in air and leaves brown stains on clothing that are hard to wash out.

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.

A characteristic smell — faint and mushroomy in fresh specimens, but as they dry and in mature ones a distinct smell of fish or herring appears. This is normal, not a sign of spoilage. The flesh and milk taste mild, faintly sweetish, nutty, with no heat and no bitterness.

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.