(1960) Lactarius vinaceorufescens, commonly known as the yellow-staining milkcap or the yellow-latex milky, is a poisonous species of fungus in the family Russulaceae.

When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex that rapidly turns bright sulfur-yellow.

The species, common and widely distributed in North America, grows in the ground in association with conifer trees.

There are several other Lactarius species that bear resemblance to L. vinaceorufescens, but most can be distinguished by differences in staining reactions, macroscopic characteristics, or habitat.

The species was first described by American mycologists Lexemuel Ray Hesler and Alexander H. Smith in 1960, based on specimens collected in Muskegon, Michigan in 1936.

The stem surface is nearly smooth, with white to brownish stiff hairs at the base, pinkish-white overall, and darkening with age.

[5] The mushrooms are poisonous; as a general rule, several guide books recommend to avoid the consumption of Lactarius species with latex that turns yellow.

The cheilocystidia (cystidia on the gill edges) are roughly club-shaped or ventricose with acute apices, and measure 32–44 by 6–10 μm.

[4] The fruit bodies of Lactarius vinaceorufescens grow scattered or in groups on the ground under pine between August and October.