# scaly ink cap

*Coprinopsis variegata*

This mushroom practices auto-digestion; as it matures, its gills dissolve into a black, spore-filled liquid in a process called deliquescence.

- **Taxonomy:** Fungi › Basidiomycota › Agaricomycetes › Agaricales › Psathyrellaceae › Coprinopsis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forests, growing in clusters on decaying hardwood logs, stumps, or woodchips.
- **Diet:** Saprotrophic (decomposing dead wood and organic matter).
- **Range:** North America, Europe
- **Size:** Cap 3-8 cm wide, stem 4-12 cm tall.
- **Lifespan:** Fruiting bodies last only 24 to 48 hours, but the underground mycelium can live for decades.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Deforestation and the over-clearing of deadwood from forest floors.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to touch, but do not consume. This mushroom is toxic and causes severe gastrointestinal distress, especially if combined with alcohol. If ingested, seek medical attention immediately.

## About

Coprinopsis variegata , commonly known as the scaly ink cap or the feltscale inky cap , is a species of fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae. Distributed in eastern North America, it has a medium-sized, bell-shaped to flattened cap up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) in diameter, with felt-like, patchy scales. The gills, initially white, turn black in maturity and eventually dissolve into a black "ink". Fruit bodies grow in clusters or groups on leaf litter or rotted hardwood, although the...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/7ff86edf-1202-4071-8307-53a5e3c71417
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/362215
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprinopsis variegata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2054615/medium.JPG (Fluff Berger, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.