Coprinus comatus, commonly known as the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a species of fungus. The young basidiocarp first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. The white caps are covered with scales, the origin of its . The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black. This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores.
The mushroom is often seen growing about lawns, gravel roads, and waste areas in the Northern Hemisphere and more locally in the Southern Hemisphere.[Fungal Red List: Coprinus comatus (O.F. Müll.) Pers.] When young it is an excellent edible mushroom but it spoils quickly and resembles some poisonous species.
Taxonomy
The shaggy ink cap was first described by Danish naturalist Otto Friedrich Müller in 1780 as
Agaricus comatus, before being given its current binomial name in 1797 by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. Its specific name derives from
coma, or "hair", hence
comatus, "hairy" or "shaggy".
Other common names include lawyer's wig,
[ and shaggy mane.
]
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 two families, the Agaricaceae and the Psathyrellaceae.
Description
The shaggy ink cap is easily recognizable from its almost cylindrical cap which initially covers most of its stem. The cap ranges from in width and in height.
Similar species
The mushroom can sometimes be confused with the magpie fungus which is poisonous. In America, the 'vomiter' mushroom Chlorophyllum molybdites is responsible for most cases of mushroom poisoning due to its similarity with shaggy mane and other edible mushrooms.[Beug, Michael W. An Overview of Mushroom Poisonings in North America. The Mycophile, vol. 45(2):4-5, March/April 2004] Coprinopsis atramentaria (the common ink cap) is similar, and contains coprine which can induce coprine poisoning, particularly when consumed with alcohol.
Distribution, habitat and ecology
It grows in groups in places which are often unexpected, such as green areas in towns. It occurs widely in grasslands and meadows in North America
Coprinus comatus is a nematophagous fungus capable of killing and digesting the nematode species Panagrellus redivivus and Meloidogyne arenaria.[ ][ ]
Edibility
It is a choice edible mushroom,
It may induce mild coprine poisoning symptoms if consumed with alcohol.[Collins, How to Identify Edible Mushrooms by Harding, Lyon & Tomblin]
In culture
In Australia the species is sufficiently common to have been featured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post in 1981.[ AustralianStamp.com Coprinus comatus image]
==Gallery==
Much of the above article was translated from the French page and Dutch pages.
Further reading
-
Pierre Montarnal: Le petit guide: Champignons (Genève, 1964; Paris-Hachette, 1969; in French).
-
Régis Courtecuisse, Bernard Duhem: Guide des champignons de France et d'Europe (Delachaux & Niestlé, 1994–2000).
-
Roger Phillips: Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain and Europe (Pan Books Ltd. 1981 / Book Club Associates 1981) - for the English names.
