Lactarius azonites

Lactarius azonites (Bull.) Fr. (illustrated 50% life size) Cap 3–8cm across; greyish buff, greyish-hazel, smoke-grey or sometimes greyish-sepia. Stem 30–70×5–15mm; white, later creamy to buff smoke-grey, bruising pale rose. Flesh white, becoming rose in two to five minutes, later orangey-coral, colouring more widely and strongly than in L. fuliginosus (opposite). Gills crowded at first; ivory white, then pale buff golden-yellow. Milk mild to somewhat hot in taste. Spores 8–9×7.5–8.5¼; warts around 0.7¼ high, connected by an almost complete network of thick ridges. Spore print dark pinkish-buff. Habitat with broad-leaved trees, especially oak; late summer to autumn. Occasional. Not edible. Note very similar to L. fuliginosus, but stem whitish and cap usually paler in colour and smaller. Also similar to L. pterosporus (below).