Shaggy inkcap - Coprinus comatus
- The Foraging Course Company
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Edible mushroom - novice Season - spring to autumn Common names Shaggy inkcap, lawyer's wog, shaggy mane
Scientific name meaning: Coprinus comes from the Greek kupros, meaning dung, because many species within the genus grow on dung. Comatus is Latin, meaning long haired
Habitat  The shaggy inkcap is a saprobic fungi growing in rich soils in grassland, woodland and hedgerows. |
Overall structure and growth  Shaggy inkcap can be found fruiting as individuals, groups, lines and in rings. It is a tall mushroom with an elongated cap. As it matures, the cap deliquesces (dissolves) into a gooey, inky mass. |
Cap  Starting off as an elongated egg-shape, the white cap is covered in curved scales. The scales, especially near the centre of the cap, often have a brown tint. As the cap ages, it becomes an elongated bell-shape of around 5cm wide and up to 15cm tall. It begins to deliquesce (turn to a gooey, black mass) from the bottom up. |
Gills and spores  The adnexed (narrowly attached to the stem) to free gills start off white and crowded. As the mushroom matures the gills turn pink, then purple-grey and eventually black before deliquescing (dissolving into a sticky ink-like substance). The spore colour is black. |
Stem  The stem is fragile, hollow and white to grey black. It can reach 30cm tall and 1 to 1.5cm wide. It has a movable ring that often falls to the base of the stem. |
Flesh, smell and taste  The flesh is white to grey-black. The smell and taste is mild and mushroomy. |
Possible lookalikes  Could be confused the rarer midden inkcap (Coprinus sterquilinus) but this grows on dung, such as rabbit droppings and manure. The magpie inkcap (Coprinopsis picacea), pictured, could be mistaken for the shaggy inkcap when it is young. However, it has white scales on a dark grey-black cap surface that are more obvious with age. It is poisonous. |
Use as a food Must be consumed quickly after gathering before it deliquesces. It is still good for soups, stews and stocks when it begins to deliquesce Hazards This mushroom must be cooked before it deliquesces. It also bioaccumulates heavy metals such as lead and cadmium so avoid harvesting from roadsides or areas known to have heavy metals within the soil
Use in herbal medicine and medicine Has been researched for its antiandrogenic and blood sugar lowering properties
If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses Used as a dye and was used as an ink historically Importance to other species Provides food for a number of invertebrates and their larvae
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
Comments