good warning and description Xmush and once again your right....these are Coprinus comatus (in later stages of development)....hard to match what you have sometimes by pictures as most pics your going to see are of young mushrooms that havent yet begun deliquescence(ink) where they can completely transform into a completely different mushroom (in only couple hours)....which makes it quite a race sometimes....especially on warm days to get them home and throw them over some heat(cook)....which arrests the "melting" making them suitable for refrigeration/freezer....Also good suggestions for look-alikes Shroomy with Quadrifidis and Lagopus demonstrating similarities and potential confusion within Coprinus....especially in their later stages of development....you only want to pick Coprinus that have not yet begun to melt for ID reasons and to avoid the mess....like Agaricus....all common species of Coprinus are eaten but with many sensitivities associated with them maybe even requiring hospitalisation with both certain Coprinus and Agaricus....many of both groups are listed in many books as poisonous....and they are to many people....and just because you ate one species one time does not mean that you wont have a problem with it if you find it again in a different location....neither Agaricus or Coprinus have ever killed anyone?....but there's always a first....Coprinus comatus grows around the world and is probably one of the most popular for the table around the world....(rated as a "choice" edible). It's cosidered one of the safest mushrooms for beginners because of no deadly look alikes and rather distinctive features (when young) compared to other groups of mushrooms.... especially when you have older individuals melting in front of your eyes to aid ID....C. multifidus is commonly eaten but with many people having problems with it especially those with a dissagreable odor with it....general rule of thumb with Coprinus and Agaricus is dont eat them if there is a dissagreable odor involved(by nikking the extreme base of stem)....C. multifidus grows only ON wood(hardwoods) which may be buried(appearing terrestrial)in the east....Comatus grows on the ground....Comatus also averages about twice the size of both Multifida and Lagopus....Lagopus can grow on both the ground and wood....although still eaten there seems to be a high degree of sensitivity the "Magpie" Coprinus picaceus for a lot of people....there are also a lot of problems with eating any "Ink Caps" and drinking alchohol together for many people especially Coprinus atramentarius "Alchohol Inky"(also a very good tasting mushroom thats extremely widespread and in many many habitats) even many hours earlier or later because of the chemical 'coprine' which can react adversely together....its suggested people with sensitiviy who partake daily might want to avoid them all together(well that leaves a few people out...more for me).... small amounts of coprine have also been confirmed in "Shaggy Manes" (Coprinus comatus)....there is also another 'look alike' out there....the "Desert Shaggy Mane"(Podaxis pistillaris) which many think might just be where these mushrooms just took evolutionary right and left turns from each other....Podaxis pisstillaris is the most common desert fungus in the U.S. and occurs in non tropical areas around the world,....on every continent except Antartica and not confined to the deserts....but occurs in ball fields, sandy stream beds, gardens and lawns(like Coprinus comatus). It is also edible but doesnt have any gills....and "Shaggy Manes" are cultivated at home now with many sources for syringe/innocula, slants, etc. then transfered to garden, compost, mycobag, etc....and as Shroomy pointed out many dangers with "False Morels" like Gyromitra esculenta (doesn't esculenta translate edible?) because of monomethylhydrazine which cooking seems to destroy?....while many people eat them without any problems....many deaths have been attributed to them, so Coprinus might a better starting point....but never ever eat a morel(Morchella), false morel(Gyromitra), or a Helvella unless THOUROUGHLY cooked!.
-------------------- Worlds Largest 'Liberty Cap' (Cali Libs Confirmed !) ' Comments On Hallucinogenic Agarics And The Hallucinations Of Those Who Study Them ' Alexander H. Smith Mycologia vol.69 1977
Edited by shroominDole (03/13/06 12:11 AM)
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