BASIDIOMYCETES: Agaricales, Coprinaceae

Inky Cap, Coprinus atramentarius

Basidiomycetes, order: Agaricales, family: Coprinaceae

Height to 6"

Cap is up to 3" wide, grayish or pale brown, darkest near the margin, and oval to bell-shaped or convex. Surface is finely grooved and the margin striated. Stalk is whitish, smooth, and hollow, with an insubstantial, papery collar zone. Gills are free, dense, and white, becoming gray pink and then black. As in other inky caps, the flesh liquefies with maturity, beginning at the cap margin and progressing inward. Spore print is black. Inky Caps often form clusters in grass or woody ground and are found throughout North America during the spring and summer or during the winter in California. The mushroom is edible but may cause illness if eaten with alcohol. Also known as the Alcohol Inky Cap and Tippler’s Bane.