About this fungus
Coconut Milkcap is a fungus in the Russulaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A small grey-lilac to buff milkcap associated mainly with birch, often among moss, with a distinctive coconut-like odour.
What to check
Confirm crowded pale gills running slightly down the stem and white latex that does not visibly change colour. The dry cap is finely matt or slightly scurfy and becomes shallowly depressed. Coconut-like odour is useful supporting evidence, but similar milkcaps require microscopic and regional checks. There is no ring or volva.
Variation
Caps range from pale grey-lilac through pinkish buff to dull grey-brown and may develop a small central bump. The coconut odour varies in strength and can be weak in weathered material.
Lookalikes
Lactarius vietus also grows with birch but has a smoother, damper cap and latex that dries grey-green. Lactarius mammosus can smell coconut-like but is darker, more strongly umbonate and usually linked to conifers. Other regional coconut-scented milkcaps may need microscopy or DNA.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal mainly with birch in woodland, scrub, heath and bog margins, often among Sphagnum or other mosses. The name is best established in Europe; North American records may represent a broader or partly different taxon concept.
Food safety
Edibility is uncertain or disputed.
Photographs
Strobilomyces / CC BY-SA 3.0