About this fungus
Snowy Inkcap is a fungus in the Psathyrellaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A small dung-inhabiting inkcap whose young white cap is densely coated in loose, chalky veil granules. It opens from egg-shaped to bell-shaped, then the gills darken and the cap begins to dissolve.
What to check
Confirm that the fruit body arises from herbivore dung or heavily manured straw. Check the powdery white veil on the cap, slender ringless stem and gills that change from white through grey to black. Members of Coprinopsis section Niveae can be very similar, so spores and veil cells may be needed for a species-level identification.
Variation
Fresh young caps can appear almost pure white. Rain or handling removes veil granules, and expansion exposes a grey-brown cap beneath them. Mature gills blacken and the cap edge splits or dissolves, changing the appearance quickly.
Lookalikes
Coprinopsis pseudonivea and other members of section Niveae share the white powdery cap and dung habitat and may require microscopy or DNA. Larger common inkcaps usually lack the dense white granular veil, while glistening inkcaps are browner and most often arise from buried wood.
Habitat and range
Saprotrophic on cow, horse and other herbivore dung, and sometimes on dung-rich or manured straw. The group is recorded across temperate regions, but records based only on appearance may include closely related regional species.
Food safety
Edibility is uncertain or disputed.