Coprinus comatus
C. comatus young
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi Subkingdom: Dikarya Phylum: Basidiomycota Subphylum: Agaricomycotina Class: Agaricomycetes Order: Agaricales Family: Agaricaceae Genus: Coprinus Species: C. comatus
Binomial name
Coprinus comatus (O.F. Müll.) Persoon

Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruiting bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The caps are white, and covered with scales - this is the origin of the common names of the fungus. The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black and secrete a black liquid filled with spores (hence the “ink cap” name). Its specific name derives from coma, or “hair”, hence comatus, “haired” or “shaggy”.

When young it is an excellent edible mushroom provided that it is eaten soon after being collected (it keeps very badly because of the autodigestion of its gills and cap). The species is cultivated in China as food.

Coprinus comatus is the type species for the genus Coprinus. This genus was formerly considered to be a large one with well over 100 species. However, molecular analysis of DNA sequences showed that the former species belonged in 2 families, the Agaricaceae and the Psathyrellaceae. Coprinus comatus is the best known of the true Coprinus. Adding to its unusual features, a recent study has found the shaggy ink cap kills nematode species Panagrellus redivivus and Meloidogyne arenaria.^[1] See also nematophagous fungus.

Description

Shaggy Ink Caps

The shaggy ink cap is easily recognizable from its cap which initially covers almost the whole of its stem. Entirely white to begin with, the cap becomes shaggy as separating scales develop. The gills change rapidly from white to pink, then to black. It is deliquescent. Microscopically it lacks pleurocystidia.

Distribution and habitat

It grows in groups in places which are often unexpected, such as green areas in towns. It occurs widely in grasslands and meadows in Europe and North America. It appears to have been introduced to Australia, New Zealand and Iceland.

Coprinus comatus mycological characteristics:   gills on hymenium   cap is conical   hymenium is free   stipe has a ring   spore print is black   ecology is saprotrophic   edibility: edible

Growth

The left image below shows a young mushroom. The right image shows the same specimen 24 hours later. 'Ink' can be seen dripping from the gills.

10th October

11th October

Spores

mature

Edibility

The young mushrooms, before the gills start to turn black, are edible. It can sometimes be used in mushroom soup with parasol mushroom.

References

Much of the above article was translated from the French page and Dutch pages.

External links

• Mushroom-Collecting.com: Coprinus comatus
• AmericanMushrooms.com: Best Edible Wild Mushrooms
• “The Genus Coprinus: The Inky Caps” by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.com, February, 2005.
• All about Inkcaps: Coprinus site of Kees Uljé – taxonomy and keys to coprinoid fungi.
• Fungus of the Month for May 2004: Coprinus comatus, the shaggy mane by Tom Volk, TomVolkFungi.net.
• “Coprinus comatus: The Shaggy Mane” by Michael Kuo, MushroomExpert.com, September, 2001.
• “California Fungi: Coprinus comatus”, MykoWeb.com.
• “Wild About Mushrooms: Shaggy Mane Mushroom” by Louise Freedman, MykoWeb.com.
• “Coprinus comatus” by Robert Sasata, Healing-Mushrooms.net, September, 2007.
• Medicinal Mushroom Society

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Coprinus comatus