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| Practical ecological knowledge for the temperate reader. |
Shaggy Mane - Coprinus comatus
- Caution: Related species interact with alcohol, Edible, Choice, Spoils quickly, Antibiotic
- Family: Coprinaceae
"Clyde Christensen, longtime mycologist at the University of Minnesota, included Coprinus comatus as one of his "foolproof four" edible mushrooms. Although it could be argued that nothing is fully foolproof, especially when it comes to mushrooms" [Trudell MPNW]
"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." [ME.com]
"DNA studies over the last decade make it clear that Coprinus comatus is fairly closely related to species of Agaricus and Lepiota, but only distantly related to most other mushrooms whose gills turn to black ink--for example, Coprinopsis atramentaria or Coprinellus micaceus. The genus Coprinus, which once held all such mushrooms, now holds only Coprinus comatus and a few similar mushrooms--and it turns out that the presence of a ring on the stem and a string-like strand of fibers inside the stem's hollow cavity (see the third illustration) turn out to be better predictors of the genus Coprinus than deliquescing gills." [ME.com]
"A monster version of Coprinus comatus from the Pacific Northwest, with a stem up to 50 cm long (that's half a meter!), has been described as Coprinus colosseus. Several varieties of Coprinus comatus have also been described, including var. excentricus (spores 14-18 [microns] long, with a very eccentric pore), and var. caprimammillatus (spores 8-15 [microns] long, with a slightly eccentric pore). See van de Bogart (1976) for more information." [ME.com]
Identification
- Summary: "Features include large size; tall, oval, white cap with large brown scales, the cap blackening at maturity; free, crowded gills that deliquesce; white silky stem; mild odor, black spore deposit; and habitat on lawns, roadsides, along trails or near compost heaps. In the scheme based on molecular evidence, this species remains in Coprinus with Coprinus spadiceisporus and Coprinus sterquilinus, while most of the Coprinus species are distributed to Coprinopsis, Coprinellus, and Parasola, (Redhead(49)). Van de Bogart has described three varieties in WA in addition to C. comatus var. comatus: var. parvus is distinguished by small size (cap 4-5cm tall before expansion and stem 5-6cm tall), and sterigmata of basidia are colorless and lack the refractile plug, var. excentricus has very eccentric germ pore and the spores are usually large (14-18 microns long), and var. caprimammillatus of which each fruiting body has some spores with apical germ pore and some spores with the germ pore at least somewhat eccentric. C. comatus is common in the Pacific Northwest. It is found in BC, WA, OR, ID, and elsewhere in North America. Breitenbach(4) give distribution as America, Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Australia." [E-flora]
- Cap: "6.4-12cm high prior to expansion, 3.5-10cm across after expansion, ovate-oblong at first, then conic, then bell-shaped, and eventually revolute [upturned] or laciniate or both; white ground color with brown-tipped scales and all brown at top of cap, eventually most of the cap slowly blackening and the brownish scales and top becoming dark brown when old; smooth at top, the remainder squarrosely scaly, the fibrillose scales 0.2-0.9cm long and wide, numerous shallow plicate striations developing beneath the thick white universal veil and only becoming apparent when cap expands enough to dislodge some of veil from margin area, (Van De Bogart), 4-15(25)cm high, cylindric or columnar, expanding somewhat as margin becomes upcurved until more or less bell-shaped, then deliquescing from the bottom up; white with brown to pale cinnamon-brown or buff center, soon breaking up into shaggy, white to brown scales, often recurved when old; not viscid, margin striate when old and often tattered, (Arora)" [E-flora]
- Flesh: "thin and membranous except at top where it may reach up to 0.2cm thick, in stem fibrous but somewhat brittle, up to 0.2cm thick, (Van De Bogart), soft; white, (Arora)" [E-flora]
- Gills: "free and remote, crowded, subgills few or none, linear, 4-11.8cm x 1-1.2cm; white, then rose pink, then purple to gray-black, and finally soot-black; autolysis complete, (Van De Bogart), free or nearly so, very crowded; "at first white, then passing through delicate shades of pink, pinkish red, or vinaceous", finally black and inky, (Arora)" [E-flora]
- Stem: "7.5-19(32)cm x 0.35-2.1cm, widening towards base, base bulbous to abrupt, stem hollow, the lumen containing a loosely interwoven yarn-like hyphal thread in center; white; smooth, silky-bald, opaque, (Van De Bogart), 5-20(40)cm x 1-2cm, narrowing downward or with an enlarged, more or less pointed base, hollow or stuffed with a pith, cleanly separable from cap; white; smooth, (Arora)" [E-flora]
- Veil: "universal veil thick, smooth at top of cap, the remainder squarrosely scaly, the veil covering the cap entirely until late maturity when small parts of surface revealed by splitting, dislodgement or lysis of the veil elements; large, loose, white ring present, usually near stem base, which seems to be the edges of a fragile volva that is almost always attached more firmly to the cap margin than to the stem base and hence carried part way up the stem upon expansion, (Van De Bogart), partial veil membranous, "forming a small, white, movable, inferior ring" which often drops to base of stem or falls off, (Arora)" [E-flora]
- Odor: "faint odor of mushrooms (Van De Bogart)" [E-flora]
- Taste: mild (Van De Bogart) [E-flora]
- Spore Deposit: soot black (Van De Bogart) [E-flora] black; spores 10-16 (18) )( 7-9 microns, elliptical, smooth; with a germ pore. [MushDemyst]
- Ecology: "Saprobic,growing alone or in clusters, lines, or fairy rings on lawns, wood chips, or hard-packed ground; summer and fall; widely distributed in North America.[Me.com] Scattered, grouped, or in dense clusters on disturbed ground or grassy areas; found frequently along roadsides, paths and in playing fields; fruiting any month of the year when moisture is available but most abundant soon after the fall rains." [Mykoweb]
- Habitat/Range "single to clumped or even densely cespitose [in tufts], "terrestrial, on lawns, by roadsides, along trails, near compost heaps, and occasionally in forested areas, always on soil", (Van De Bogart), sometimes single "but more often scattered to densely gregarious or in loose clumps on hard ground and grassy areas, rich or disturbed soil etc.", (Arora), most commonly in early spring and late fall, (Miller), spring, summer, fall, (Buczacki)" [E-flora] "Sometimes solitary but more often scattered to densely gregarious or in loose clumps on hard ground and grassy areas, rich or disturbed soil, etc. Common throughout the northern hemisphere, especially along roads and trails. In our area the major crop is in the fall or early winter, but it can be found most any time, In the Southwest I have seen troops of them crowding highway shoulders for miles-both in the spring and fall. For some reason "shags" seem to gravitate toward asphalt and often burst up through it. They've been known to ruin tennis courts, and one is reported to have lifted a 10 pound slab of concrete in a heroic attempt to proliferate its species. Alexander Smith describes a fruiting of over 1000 specimens on a baseball field, "extending in a line from first base to short left field." [MushDemyst]
COMMENTS: "Shaggy manes are the soldiers among mushrooms, the sentinels of the
roads. Their tall, shaggy cylindrical heads are distinctive even in silhouette, and when inky
individuals are found in the vicinity of young ones, there can be no doubtas to their identity.
The poisonous Chlorophyllum molybdites can be similar when young, but expands in age
and doesn't deliquesce. Podaxis pistillaris is quite similar in shape and color, but lacks gills.
"Shags" are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate, especially in the delicate reddish tints the
gills assume as they mature. "Shags" also possess a special spontaneity-seemingly
popping up overnight after a rain, while most mushrooms fruit several days after. Extreme
aridity may arrest development so that the spores never mature and the gills remain white,
or the gills blacken and then shrivel up rather than deliquescing. Several forms and varieties
of the shaggy. mane have been described, including a small, oval one only 5-6 cm high. The
height of the larger forms seems to depend partially on the depth of the humus they must
transcend-I have found specimens in redwood duff by a road that were two feet tall-but
the "normal" height is 6-20 cm. Other species: C. colosseus is a giant version of the shaggy
mane with stalk 35-50 cm long and spores 17-20 microns long; it has been described from
Washington by Fred Van De Bogart, but is rare. Several small (cap less than 5 cm high)
versions of the shaggy mane also occur, including: C. palmeranus, terrestrial; C. alnivorus,
wood-inhabiting; C. sterquilinus and C. umbrinus, on dung or compost piles, the former
with large spores and the latter with a brownish stem base; and C. spadiceisporus, on the
dung of wild animals (rabbit, deer, etc.). All of these have the ring (annulus) characteristic
of the shaggy mane and are too small and rare to be worth eating." [MushDemyst]
Comments "With its distinctive columnar, shaggy cap which dissolves into ink at maturity, Coprinus comatus is one of the easiest of all mushrooms to recognize. Coprinopsis atramentaria, another inky cap, is somewhat similar, but has a smooth to fibrillose, not scaly cap surface, and lacks the elongated cap shape of C. comatus." [Mykoweb]
Hazards
- Caution: May rarely react with alcohol like C. atramentarius, (Arora) [E-flora] "I have cooked them in wine many times with no ill effects." [MushDemyst]
Edible Use
- Edibility: delicious. [E-flora] A strong flavor [EMB Conte] "Edible and delicious-one of the best known and safest of all wild mushrooms. The flavor is very delicate but the texture is marvelous-not slimy as in okra, but succulent as in octopus. For a delicious snack, slice them in half and dip them in egg batter and bread crumbs (or flour), then saute them briefly and serve hot! Use only young caps-darkened ones are mostly water-and don't pick more than you can eat in two meals unless you plan to preserve them, for they will deliquesce quickly." [MushDemyst] Edible and choice, but must be cooked quickly before the caps turn to ink.[Mykoweb] "Mushroom hunters often cook this flavorful mushroom with scrambled eggs; it is also excellent in soups, sauces, and gravies." [CEPMNE Fergus] "Old caps do not look very appetizing but do have a good flavor, though they must be cooked within a few hours of picking." [EPMW Hall]
- Storage: "...the crops are difficult to keep because of the early onset of deliquescence. By submerging mushrooms in water, deliquescence is slowed and mushrooms remain in good condition for several days after picking." [MushCult Stamets] "...cannot be held overnight even with good refrigeration." [Chang BCEM] "If picked when no basidia have matured, mushrooms can be kept in cold storage for 4-5 days. Any mushrooms that begin to deliquesce should be removed from the fresher fruitbodies since the enzymes secreted by one deliquescing mushroom will decompose adjacent mushrooms, regardless of age....Young shaggy manes can be thinly sliced and quickly dried for storage. Freeze drying is also an option." [GGMM Stamets]
Mycochemicals
"nitrogen constituted 5.79 per cent, of the total dry substance of Coprinus comatus.... Thus, notwithstanding the 5.79 per cent, of nitrogen in Coprinus comatus, we find but .82 per cent, in the form of actually available (i. e., digestible) proteids, or approximately one-seventh of what was formerly supposed to be present." [Atkinson SAF]
"Nutritional Content: 25-29% protein (N x 4. 38); 3% fat; 59% carbohydrates; 3-7% fiber and 18% ash. (Crisan & Sands (1978); Samajpati (1979))." [GGMM Stamets] Chemical composition of newly developed cultivated mushrooms (g/100g DW); Fat 1.95%, Protein 10%, TDF 34.6%, IDF 32.8%, SDF 1.79%, Ash 10.10%, Moisture 6.23% [Peter C. Cheung]
Pharmacology
- "Extracts from fresh specimens of this species has been shown to have antibiotic properties, similar to Those from Lentinus edodes." [MushCult Stamets]
- "A novel antibiotic has been isolated from this species and is currently being characterized by American researchers .Ying (1987, pg. 313)) reports that the "inhibition rates against sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich carcinoma are 100% and 90% respectively. "The references are in Chinese. No other research on the anti-tumor properties of this mushroom is known to this author." [GGMM Stamets]
Cultivation
"After experimenting with its cultivation, I am
pleasantly surprised at how well this species
adapts to a wide variety of indoor and outdoor
substrates. Although the commercial cultivation of this mushroom is limited by its
predisposition to disintegrate into an inky mess,
this mushroom is fantastic for those who can
consume it within two days of picking."[GGMM Stamets] "This is a great mushroom to grow in your yard and in compost piles. Once an outdoor patch is established, Shaggy Manes can fruit for many years." [GGMM Stamets]
- "Like many other species in this genus, Coprinus comatus is a Thermotolerant mesophile that often appears in compost piles."
- "A large ink cap, Coprinus comatus, is estimated to produce a total of about nine thousand million basidiospores in its active period of 2-3 days..." [TheFungi2]
- Mycelial Types: Linear to cottony, zonate-cottony mycelia; whitish in color.[MushCult Stamets]
- Spawn Medium: Rye grain. [MushCult Stamets]
- Fruiting Substrate: "Composted wheat straw enriched with horse and/or chicken manure, adjusted to 70% moisture content. Also, pasteurized chopped wheat straw supports fruitings of this species. Garcha et al. (1979) reported that composts having The distinct scent of ammonia after Phase II supported the greatest fruitings of Coprinus comatus." [MushCult Stamets]
- Method of Preparation: "See Chapters V & VI on the preparation of compost and straw. Pasteurization achieved through exposure to live steam for 2 hours at 140oF. Compost or straw should be filled to a depth of 6-12 inches." [MushCult Stamets]
- Yield Potential: Average commercial yields are 2-3 Ibs/sq.ft. over a 4 week cropping period. Maximum yield potential has not yet been established. [MushCult Stamets]
"After pasteurized compost is inoculated, the substrate is completely colonized in two weeks with a
cottony, non-rhizomorphic mycelium. When colonization is complete, a moist casing (peat moss!
gypsum) layer is applied. After 10 days, the mycelium can be seen reaching through the upper surface
of the casing. At this stage, lower the temperature, increase watering, and introduce light to stimulate
fruiting. Yields can be substantially increased if the casing layer is vigorously raked just as the mycehum beings to show on the surface of the casing."
"The primordia form as circular dials, between the size of a dime to a quarter. The primordia are
unique in that they are wide and flat. An inner collar forms within the dial and arises to form a dome.
This dome soon shoots up to form a recognizable mushroom. The circular zone visible at the primordial stage becomes the movable ring resting on the stem of the mature mushroom." [GGMM Stamets]
Coprinus Sp.
"Some species of Coprinus have basidiocarps which
are edible when young. Coprinus comatus is an
example. The fruit bodies of C. atramentarius are
edible and harmless except if consumed with
alcohol, which results in unpleasant symptoms
of nausea and palpitations. The substance associated with this effect has been identified as
coprine (Fig. 19.15a), and this is similar in its
effects to the drug disulfuram (antabuse) which is used in attempts to wean alcoholics from their
addiction, although it is different chemically." [IntrotoFun3] Most species are too small to be worth collecting. [Trudell MPNW]
- Coprinus disseminatus; nonpoisonous [MOFMUS Huffman]
- C. micaceus; Edible [MOFMUS Huffman] "This fungus, as well as all other species of Coprinus, is said to be digested more easily than most other kinds of mushrooms, since it is almost completely liquefied by its own enzymes, but it could scarcely be considered a sustaining food." [Clyde M. Christensen]
- Coprinus variegatus - Scaly inky cap; "Some of the guidebooks that include the scaly inky cap warn about stomach upsets and advise us to keep it out of the kitchen. Perhaps its reputation is justified, but I know a number of mushroomers who eat this species frequently and enjoy it. Personally, I have eaten it for a long time with no negative side effects. I think it's the best of the inky caps, with a richer flavor and better texture than the famous shaggy mane. (I don't take it home, however, if it smells particularly strong.)... Like Coprinus atramentarius, the scaly inky cap has been reported to cause sickness when consumed with alcohol." [FGWMP Russell]
References
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Friday, June 30, 2023 8:09 AM
