Community find

Mica Cap

Coprinellus micaceus

Group

gilled mushroom

Spore print

Black or dark brown.

Size

Cap 2-5cm diameter; Stipe 4-10cm long and 0.2-0.5cm thick.

Season

Spring through Autumn, often appearing after rain.

Habitat

Often found growing in dense clusters on decaying hardwood, buried wood, or near stumps in lawns and gardens.

Distribution

Cosmopolitan; widely found throughout North America, Europe, and many other temperate regions worldwide.

Key characteristics

Small bell-shaped caps with fine mica-like granules on the surface when young; gills turn black and liquefy with age (deliquescence).

Fruiting body

Cap is initially ovate then bell-shaped, 2-5cm wide, tawny-brown to yellowish-tan, often with glistening granules. Gills are crowded, white at first, then becoming purple-black and inky. Stipe is hollow, fragile, and whitish.

How to recognise it

Look for the tiny, glistening salt-like particles on the cap of young specimens and its habit of growing in tight clusters on or near wood.

Look-alikes

Coprinellus sect. Micacei species like Coprinellus truncorum and Coprinellus pallidrevelatus which require microscopy to differentiate.

Ecological role

Saprophytic (decomposer of organic matter).

Notes

The 'mica' in its name refers to the small granules on the cap that catch the light like mica minerals. These granules are remains of a universal veil and are easily washed away by rain.