Shaggy Mane Mushroom

Types of Mushrooms Bird's Nest Coral Mushrooms Fly Agaric Halloween Mushrooms Jelly Mushrooms Puffball Mushrooms Polypores Red Waxy Cap Types of Mushrooms

Shaggy Manes (Coprinus comatus) go against the grain of the typical forest-mushroom association.

Inky caps, as they are also known, are common mushrooms found on lawns and other open areas with nutrient rich soil.

Within a day of the mushroom's fruiting, it begins self-digesting or decomposing. The cap turns an inky black from the bottom up. This helps them release their spores.

They are edible, however, you have to pick and cook them immediately upon finding them in the early fruiting stage.

© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels