Coprinus plicatilis (Curt.: Fries) Fries
Epicr. Syst. Myc. 252. 1838.

Common Name: none

Synonym: Parasola plicatilis (Curt.: Fries) Redhead, Vilgalys, & Hopple

• Pileus

  Cap 1-3 cm broad, narrowly ovoid, becoming conic, expanding to broadly convex or plane, the disc sometimes slightly depressed; surface smooth, translucent-plicate or ribbed, yellow-brown at disc fading towards the margin, becoming grayish overall in age except at the center; flesh very thin, fragile; odor and taste indistinct.

• Lamellae

  Gills free, subdistant, narrow, pallid, then gray, finally blackish, not deliquescing.

• Stipe

  Stipe 2.5-6.5 cm long, 1-2 mm thick, equal, round, thin, fragile, hollow; surface smooth, pallid; partial veil absent.

• Spores

  Spores 9.5-12 x 6-8.5 µm, elliptical, smooth with an apical pore; spore print black.

• Habitat

  Solitary to scattered in grassy areas, disturbed ground or well-decayed wood chips; fruiting all months of the year when moisture is available.

• Edibility

  Inconsequential.

• Comments

  This delicate Coprinus rates a 9.5 on the 10 point "fragility index," and collecting it in one piece can be a challenge. It is characterized by a translucent, pale grey cap with a yellowish-brown disc and free gills that do not deliquesce. Fruiting bodies typically grow to maturity and die all within a few hours, often replaced by fresh crops on succeeding days if the weather remains moist.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Boleslaw Kuznik: Coprinus plicatilis (CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik: Coprinus plicatilis (CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik: Coprinus plicatilis (CP)
  • Fred Stevens: Coprinus plicatilis (CP)
  • Boleslaw Kuznik -- Hunting for Mushrooms: Coprinus plicatilis (CP)
  • Agaricales of the Hawaiian Islands: Coprinus plicatilis (D & CP)
  • Nathan Wilson: Coprinus plicatilis (D & CP)
  • Na Grzyby: Coprinus plicatilis (D & CP)
  • George Barron's Fungi of Canada (East): Coprinus plicatilis (D & CP)
  • Kinok-ya: Coprinus plicatilis (D & CP)
  • Coprinus Site: Coprinus plicatilis (D, I, & CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 352 (D), plate 87 (CP)
  • Breitenbach & Kränzlin (vol. ): sp. 298 (D, I, & CP)
  • Jordan: p. 235 (D & CP)
  • Lincoff: p. 600 (D), plate 3 (CP)
  • Miller: sp. 187 (D)
  • Orr & Orr: p. 175 (D)

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)