About this fungus
Oakbug Milkcap is a fungus in the Russulaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A common oak-associated milkcap with a dull cinnamon to reddish-brown cap, often marked by faint darker rings or blotches. Its odour is often oily or stale and has traditionally been compared with bedbugs.
What to check
Confirm that oak roots are nearby. Damaged gills release white to cream latex that does not turn bright yellow, while the crowded buff gills may spot brown where damaged. A pale cream spore print and the oily odour support the identification.
Variation
The cap begins convex with an inrolled edge, then flattens and may become shallowly depressed. Concentric zones can be clear or barely visible, and damp caps may look slightly greasy while dry ones are matt.
Lookalikes
Yellowdrop Milkcap, Lactarius chrysorrheus, also grows with oak but is usually paler and its white latex turns yellow. Rufous Milkcap, Lactarius rufus, usually grows with conifers, is darker and often has a central point. Fenugreek Milkcap, Lactarius helvus, favours coniferous or wet heath habitat and has a different spicy odour.
Habitat and range
Ectomycorrhizal with oak, fruiting on soil and leaf litter in oak woodland, parkland and mixed woodland where oak roots extend. The European species is well documented. Similar North American oak milkcaps may be treated as varieties or separate regional taxa.
Food safety
Inedible.
Photographs
Strobilomyces / CC BY-SA 3.0
Andreas Kunze / CC BY-SA 3.0Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: