It was first described by Christian Hendrik Persoon,[2] who named it Agaricus pallidus[3] in his 1797 book Tentamen dispositionis methodicae Fungorum.

In shape, it is initially a flattened convex, developing a funnel-shaped depression with age.

The cap is smooth, firm, and sticky, and has a thick layer of white to buff flesh.

In shape, the stem is cylindrical or slightly narrowed at the base, and is concolorous with the cap or whitish.

The spores are elliptic, with ridges of varying thickness running across them, forming few cross-connections.

[2] Lactarius pallidus is similar in appearance to L. affinis, but is differentiated by the fact that the former lacks the peppery taste of the latter.