![]() ![]() This mushroom is unusual because it will turn black and dissolve itself in a matter of hours after being picked or depositing spores. The gills beneath the cap are white, then pink, then turn black and secrete a black liquid filled with spores (hence the "ink cap" name). ![]() The caps are white, and covered with scales-this is the origin of the common names of the fungus. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out. Rain drops release many spores, but the flick of a finger can create a sinuous puff of dark brown smoke, potentially wafting the fungal spores into the lightest breeze and spreading puffballs near and far.Coprinus comatus, the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. It is also when the puffball earns its popular name.Īs its spores ripen, the puffball’s outer skin, or cuticle, develops one or two small holes called ostioles through which millions of dry spores escape at the smallest disturbance. Oddly, this later stage is when most people have their first encounter with a puffball. At any point after “white” the mushroom must be considered inedible. Their airy, dough-like interior transforms as the spores within ripen, turning it from milky white to yellowish and finally to a dark brownish purple. Puffballs do not have stems, gills or pores. It was firm and cool to the touch, a prime example of ready-to-harvest puffball-ness.Īnd for a moment, I considered collecting it (there are few wild foods comparable to puffball parmigiana), but quickly reconsidered when a large truck splattered roadside sludge onto the surrounding mugwort. ![]() The fungus had pushed most of the nearby vegetation out of its way, but the most stubborn stems were simply engulfed by the mass, a process similar to the alien life-form engulfing everything in its path in the classic horror movie “The Blob.”Īs cars whipped past at breakneck speed, I gently pressed my hand against the large mushroom. ![]()
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February 2023
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