About this fungus
Truncate Inkcap is a fungus in the Psathyrellaceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A honey-brown, deeply lined inkcap that fruits in tight clusters from hardwood or buried woody roots and darkens from the gills outward.
What to check
Record the substrate, cap veil granules before rain removes them, gill colour with age and the full stem base. Examine mature spores and veil cells microscopically.
Variation
Young caps may carry sparkling pale granules, but these wash away. Caps expand, become strongly grooved and may partly dissolve as the gills blacken.
Lookalikes
Coprinellus micaceus is effectively inseparable by ordinary field characters. Coprinellus saccharinus and other clustered inkcaps add further overlap.
Habitat and range
A wood-decaying species on broadleaf stumps, logs and buried roots in temperate regions. Apparent growth from soil often traces back to buried wood.
Food safety
Inedible.
Species to compare
Similar mushrooms to compare against: