Coprinus lagopus

This is a key to gilled mushrooms, that is, mushrooms having a definite cap with a fertile surface consisting of gills. The fruiting body usually also has a stem, although that may be lateral or absent (usually, then, the mushroom is growing from wood). You can use this key to identify mushrooms that you find.

Fruiting body containing fibers (usually in the stalk)

Spore print black, very dark brown, purplish black, or dark purplish brown, but not fitting the Gomphidiaceae
Gills usually light grey, becoming black from spores only when very mature

All deliquescing fungi go here
All striate or pleated-capped non-Gomphidius black-spored mushrooms go here (but not randomly wrinkled ones: they go in Psathyrella)
When young, the cap usually cylindrical, and in any case much taller than it is wide and hugging the stem tightly; the gills at this stage are white, and packed very close together
Cap usually deliquescing and surviving in age as uplifted tatters or split fragments
Cap often covered with powder or tiny hairs, especially when young

Cap up to 1" high, opening to about the same width; covered with tiny, fragile fragments of universal veil material, which may take the form of either flakes or hairs; greyish brown, with a warmer brown disk
Stalk hollow, also covered with the same sort of universal veil material

Coprinus lagopus     (Fries) Fries

Here are the characters that distinguish this species from the others in its group. For its more general characters, see higher up on the page.
If there's just a few words or a microscopic feature here, a more thorough description can be found above.

Diagnosis

• Cap covered with tiny, fragile fragments of universal veil material, which may take the form of either flakes or hairs; up to 2" high; greyish brown, with a warmer brown disk
  
• Stalk hollow, also covered with the same sort of universal veil material

Microscropic Characters

• Spores 10-13 x 6-7 µm

Comments

As far as this website is concerned, this species is synonymous with Coprinus cinereus. Arora (1986) gives it as a vague synonym for "the Coprinus lagopus group", and I tend to agree with him. There is one book that gives a separate entry for Coprinus cinereus, but I am unable to discern any clear-cut difference in microscopic features, macroscopic features, or spore size in their descriptions.


 

 

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