Common Ink Cap

Coprinopsis

The Common Ink Cap is a small mushroom that can turn into black ink! It's fun to watch as it grows.

Habitat: In gardens and grassy areas

Appearance

The Common Ink Cap has an ovoid to bell-shaped cap, often greyish-brown with fine scales. Its gills are initially white, turning grey then black, liquifying into a black, inky fluid as it matures, making it visually unique.

KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderAgaricalesFamilyPsathyrellaceaeGenusCoprinopsis

Common Ink Cap

Interesting facts

Before plastic, people sometimes used the inky fluid from these mushrooms to write letters!

If you eat this mushroom with even a tiny bit of alcohol, it can make you feel very sick!

They often grow in huge groups, sometimes hundreds of them popping up together overnight.

This mushroom's cap turns into a gooey black liquid, just like ink, which inspired its name!

Special abilities

Common Ink Cap can digest itself into a black, inky fluid because its gills break down to release spores, making natural ink.

Common Ink Cap has a special compound that causes a strong reaction when eaten with alcohol, protecting it from some curious foragers.

Measurements & details

Height: 5-15 cm
Edibility: poisonous
Cap Diameter: 3-8 cm
Growth Substrate: soil
Season: Spring to late autumn
Spore Color: Black

Ecological connections

depends on

English Oak

Quercus robur

Decomposes dead oak roots or wood in the soil.

depends on

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Helps decay dead maple wood and roots beneath the surface.

depends on

Perennial Ryegrass

Lolium perenne

Feeds on dead grass roots and thatch in lawns and fields.

Traits

Cluster Flower

Discover how these flowers grow together in beautiful groups, creating a big splash of color that catches your eye. It's like a tiny bouquet, all natural!

Shade Tolerant

Discover plants that love to live in the shadows, growing beautifully and happily even in spots where the sun doesn't shine all day long.

Spore Producing

Discover how some plants and fungi create tiny little "seeds" called spores to help them grow new life! These tiny particles drift in the air, spreading new generations far and wide.