urbpan | 365 Urban Species. #115: Mica Cap (Reply)

Another great picture by

cottonmanifesto.

Urban species #115: Mica cap Coprinus micaceus

Several different mushrooms in the genus Coprinus are urban species. The shaggy mane (C. comatus) and the alcohol inky (C. atramentarius) are popular edibles that grow in grassy lawns. (The latter gets its name from the adverse reaction that it causes when consumed with alcohol--an attribute shared with several species in the group.) Other Coprinus mushrooms grow from richly fertilized soil, or directly from feces. Collectively they have the common name "inky caps," because their caps deliquesce into black liquid as they release their spores.

The mica cap is identified by the tawny brown color of the caps, and by the flecks of shiny material that gives it its name. This latter feature can be washed off by rain--possibly the very rain that caused the fungus to fruit. This mushroom grows from dead wood, often old stumps buried beneath soil.