The candy caps have been placed in various infrageneric groups of "Lactarius" depending on the author. Bon defined the candy caps and allies as making up the subsection "Camphoratini" of the section "Olentes". Subsection "Camphoratini" is defined by their similarity in color, odor (with the exception of "L. rostratus" – see below), and by the presence of macrocystidia on their hymenium. (The other subsection of "Olentes", "Serifluini", is also aromatic, but have very different aromas from the "Camphoratini" and are entirely lacking in cystidia.)