BASIDIOMYCETES: Agaricales, Coprinaceae

Pleated Inky Cap, Coprinus plicatilis

Basidiomycetes, order: Agaricales, family: Coprinaceae

Height to 3"

This tiny mushroom has a cap up to 1" wide, conical or convex, becoming flattened with age. Flesh is translucent and fragile, colored yellow-brown with a darker, sometimes reddish-brown center, and is well-grooved nearly to the center of the cap. Stalk is white, thin, and delicate. Gills are free but attached to a thin collar just under the cap, pale gray and then black, but not inky like other Coprinus species. They are found in grassy areas, gardens, and meadows throughout North America during the spring and summer. They are edible but hardly worth it due to their small size. Also known as the Japanese Umbrella Inky.