Names, authorship and dates from Index Fungorum.

• BasidiomycotaPhylum
• └─ AgaricomycetesClass
• └─ RussulalesOrder
• └─ RussulaceaeFamily
• └─ LactariusGenus

Higher ranks from Catalogue of Life (COL26.9 XR).

Lifestylemycorrhiza

Under spruce (Picea), more rarely in mixed forest, from lowland to subalpine

⚠ Before you pickWild fungi may be taken in small quantities for your own use (§39(3) BNatSchG) — but not in nature reserves or national parks, on closed land or on farmland in use, and never for sale (§39(4)). In Bavaria this right is anchored in Art. 141(3) of the state constitution and is limited to locally customary amounts; the competent authority is the district nature-conservation authority (untere Naturschutzbehörde). Local signs and ordinances come first.

Species protection from BArtSchV Annex 1 and §2(1), retrieved 2026-10-15; Red List from Dämmrich et al. (2016) (BfN / Rote-Liste-Zentrum). Not legal advice — local rules and signage may be stricter. BArtSchV Annex 1 · Red List data

• edible mushroom

Edible

• ▸ Orange to carrot-red cap with faint concentric zones, greening with age
• ▸ Orange, later greenish milk that stains weakly orange on exposure
• ▸ Gills bruise green where damaged
• ▸ Stem without distinct pits; latex mild to slightly bitter, never hot