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inky cap
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shaggy mane Two shaggy mane mushrooms, Coprinus comatus, with tall, white, shaggy caps and slender stems growing among green foliage on the forest floor.
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shaggy mane
shaggy mane Shaggy mane, or shaggy cap (Coprinus comatus).

inky cap

mushroom
Also known as: Coprinus
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

inky cap, (genus Coprinus), genus of about 350 cosmopolitan mushroom species. Inky caps are so named for the disintegration of the mushroom cap into an inklike liquid following spore discharge. The inklike liquid has been used for writing. Inky caps grow on wood and dung. The caps of C. atramentarius and C. comatus (shaggy mane, or shaggy cap) are edible when young, before the gills turn black.

Taxonomy

See also list of fungi

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.