Lactarius fallax var. concolor Smith & Hesler.
Cap 2.5-8cm across, convex with a small umbo and inrolled margin, becoming broadly convex or flattened in age, with or without an umbo and with a wavy or ribbed margin; dark brownish black; dry, velvety, and wrinkled. Gills decurrent, crowded, narrow, many forked near stem; whitish, then yellowish. Stem 30-40 x 6-l0mm, solid becoming hollow, sometimes narrowing toward the base; same color as cap except paler at base; in some specimens the top of the stem is fluted where it attaches to the gills. Flesh quite thick, firm, brittle; white, staining brownish pink when bruised. Latex white, plentiful, unchanging. Odor mild. Taste mild or faintly peppery. Spores globose, amyloid, 9-11 x 9-11µ; ornamented with variable prominences 0.8-2μ high forming a broken or partial reticulum. Deposit pale yellow. Habitat scattered to gregarious in conifer forests and mountain areas, particularly under balsam. Sometimes quite common. Found in the Pacific Northwest and California. Season July-November. Edibility not known - avoid.