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Shaggy Inkcap

Coprinus comatus (O.F. Müll.) Pers. 1797

Description:

Suddenly appearing in people's lawns--in troops or lines or rings--this mushroom is well known and relatively easily recognized. Its distinguishing features include its shape and stature (see the illustrations), and the fact that the gills "deliquesce," turning themselves into black ink as they mature. Shaggy manes are frequently found in disturbed ground, and the edges of dirt roads can produce many mushrooms. In the Rocky Mountains, Coprinus comatus can be seen from the car during monsoon season by simply driving four-wheel-drive roads and keeping an eye on the roadsides ( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/coprinus_c... )

Habitat:

location: North America, Europe edibility: Edible fungus colour: White to cream normal size: 5-15cm cap type: Conical or nearly so stem type: Ring on stem flesh: Flesh granular or brittle spore colour: Purplish to black habitat: Grows on the ground, Found in fields, lawns or on roadsides Coprinus Coprinus comatus (Fr.) S. F. Gray Shaggy Mane, Shaggy Inkcap, Lawyer’s Wig, Schopftintling, Coprin chevelu, Gyapjas tintagomba. Cap 3-7cm across when expanded, more or less a tall ovoid when young, becoming more cylindrical as it expands; white and very shaggy-scaly, often with a pale brownish "skullcap" at apex; margin of the cap dissolves away and progresses steadily upward until the entire cap has liquified away, including the gills. Gills free, crowded, very narrow; white becoming black and inky from the margin upward. Stem 60-120 x 10-20mm, very tall, straight, with a slightly bulbous base, hollow in center; white; smooth, with a ring of veil tissue left lower down on the stem. Flesh soft, fibrous; white. Odor (when young) pleasant. Taste similar. Spores ellipsoid, smooth, with germ pore at apex, (12)13-17(18) x 7-9µ. Deposit black. Habitat often in large numbers on roadsides, lawns, and other urban sites, especially where the soil has been disturbed. Found throughout North America and Europe. Season sometimes in the spring but usually July-November. Edible and delicious when young ( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/D... )

Notes:

Bioactive compounds Carbohydrates Using the Limulus Factor G test, the amount of (1→3)-β–glucan has been quantified in C. comatus (in addition to various other fungi). The Limulus Factor G test is normally used to measure the (1→3)-β–glucan content in human serum resulting from infection by disease-causing fungi like Candida or Aspergillus, to help clinicians in early diagnosis of infection. However, it is also suitable for detecting (1→3)-β-glucan content in crude mushroom polysaccharide extracts. C. comatus was identified as having ‘superior’ (1→3)-β–glucan content, compared to 18 other medicinal or edible species (Yang et al., 2003). The chemical structure of a water-soluble fucogalactan obtained from the crude intracellular polysaccharide of Coprinus comatus mycelium was characterized by sugar and methylation analysis along with 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The polysaccharide is composed of a pentasaccharide repeating unit (Fan et al., 2006). Medicinal Properties Anti-tumor activity The water extract of Coprinus comatus was recently identified as containing potent antitumor compounds for breast cancer. Because breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, and because there is no effective therapy for estrogen-independent (ER-) breast cancer, these findings are highly significant. The antitumor potential of the water extract was shown to manifest itself in three ways ---> { the rest of the description here ( http://healing-mushrooms.net/archives/9.... )}---------------------------------- Coprinus used to be the one of the easiest mushroom genera to identify. All you had to do was look for the self-digestion of the gills. But what was once considered an "easy" genus is now a little trickier. In 1994 graduate student John Hopple did some PCR-based systematics experiments in Rytas Vilgalys' lab at Duke University. He sequenced a certain gene and found that the self-digesting fungi actually belonged to four different groups. There was significant controversy when he presented his data at the Mycological Society of America meeting. How could such a distinctive group be so diverse? The proposal to split the genus up was met with such outrage that this was not published until about 8 years later. Also controversial was the assertion that the species could not be classified into the same family. ( http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/... ) ( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Li... )

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AlexKonig
Spotted by
AlexKonig

Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands

Spotted on Nov 2, 2011
Submitted on Mar 18, 2012

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