The Coprinus comatus is one of the few edible mushrooms of the genus Coprinus. It belongs to the family of the Coprinaceae, to the order Agaricales and, more generally, to the class of the Basidiomycetes. It is also called shaggy ink cap.
Coprinus comatus is a typically saprophytic species, that is, it grows and nourishes of decomposing organic matter, both animal and vegetal.
The carpophore, that is, the fruiting body, when young, has a white colour. It has a very rapid ripening process that can last only one day. As an adult its flesh becomes deliquescent and it is possible to observe some black liquid dripping from the cap.
Introduction to Coprinus comatus
For this reason it is also called the “shaggy ink cap “.