Lactarius pyrogalus, also known as Fiery Milkcap, is a small to medium-sized agaric that has a pale greyish-brown to ochre cap, creamy buff to pinkish gills and exudes white milk that dries greyish with a greenish tinge. The milk and flesh have an extremely hot, acrid taste. Lactarius pyrogalus is strongly associated with Hazel and is most often found in hazel woodland, coppice and occasionally along hedgerows. It usually fruits from late summer to autumn.

Cap smooth and slightly sticky when wet, initially convex with an inrolled margin, later becoming flattened or depressed. It is cream to pale greyish ochre, sometimes with olive, pinkish or yellowish tones, and may occasionally show faint concentric zoning. Gills creamy buff to flesh-coloured with a pinkish tinge, shortly decurrent and moderately to widely spaced. When damaged they release copious white milk that later dries greyish with a greenish tint. Stem smooth, cylindrical or slightly tapering towards the base, whitish to pale and usually lighter than or similar in colour to the cap. The stem has no ring. Spore print pale ochre.

Microscopic Features: The spores are broadly ellipsoidal, measuring 7-8 x 5.5-7μm. They are amyloid and ornamented with warts and broad connecting ridges, forming a well-developed but incomplete network.

Lactarius pyrogalus on the www.first-nature.com web site.
Lactarius pyrogalus on Wikipedia.