Glistening Inkcap

Edibility

Edible (per source) Source: Wikipedia: Coprinellus micaceus

Classification from Wikipedia: Coprinellus micaceus. Sources can be wrong or incomplete, and people react differently.

Never eat a wild mushroom based on this site or any app.

Photos

Lookalikes

No lookalikes are recorded for this species yet. That does not mean there are none. Many mushrooms look alike, so never rely on appearance alone.

Season

When this species has been recorded, by month, from open-licensed US and Canada observations. It shows when people report it, not a guarantee it is fruiting.

The highlighted bar is the current month.

Where it is found

States and provinces with the most records. Check the foraging rules for the place you plan to visit.

• California 280 records · Foraging rules
• Pennsylvania 162 records · Foraging rules
• New York 118 records · Foraging rules
• Washington 92 records · Foraging rules
• Illinois 91 records · Foraging rules
• Ontario 77 records · Foraging rules
• British Columbia 66 records · Foraging rules
• Quebec 52 records · Foraging rules
• Colorado 49 records · Foraging rules
• Minnesota 49 records · Foraging rules
• Kansas 47 records · Foraging rules
• Massachusetts 44 records · Foraging rules
• Tennessee 43 records · Foraging rules
• Oregon 37 records · Foraging rules
• Ohio 37 records · Foraging rules

All state and province foraging laws

Identification traits

Traits vary. Use them to ask better questions of an expert, not to make a final call.

About

Coprinellus micaceus, commonly known as the mica cap, glistening inky cap, or shiny cap, is a common species of mushroom-forming fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. Formerly known as Coprinus micaceus, the species was transferred to Coprinellus in 2001 as phylogenetic analyses provided the impetus for a reorganization of the many species formerly grouped together in the genus Coprinus. Based on external appearance, C. micaceus is virtually indistinguishable from C. truncorum, and it has been suggested that many reported collections of the former may be of the latter. Depending on their stage of development, the tawny-brown mushroom caps may range in shape from oval to bell-shaped to convex, and reach diameters up to 3 cm (1+1⁄4 in). The caps, marked with fine radial or linear grooves that extend nearly to the center, rest atop whitish stipes up to 10 cm (4 in) long. In young specimens, the entire cap surface is coated with a fine layer of reflective mica-like cells. Although small and with thin flesh, the mushrooms are usually bountiful, as they typically grow in dense clusters. A few hours after collection, the gills will begin to slowly dissolve into a black, inky, spore-laden liquid—an enzymatic process called autodigestion or deliquescence. With a cosmopolitan distribution, the saprobe typically produces clusters on or near rotting hardwood tree stumps or underground tree roots. The fruit bodies are edible before the gills blacken and dissolve; cooking stops the autodigestion process. Chemical analysis of the fruit bodies has revealed the presence of antibacterial and enzyme-inhibiting compounds.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the original article.