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Dense cluster of tawny mica cap mushrooms at the base of a tree
Edibleintermediate

Mica Cap

Coprinellus micaceus / Glistening ink cap

Small tawny bell-shaped caps sprinkled with glittering granules, in dense clusters on wood.

Photo: Valentina Caviglia, CC BY
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Identification warning

Very perishable; cook within hours. Small brown mushrooms on wood also include deadly Galerina.

Season
Spring to autumn after rain
Habitat
Stumps, buried roots, and dead hardwood, often in towns
Underside
Crowded gills turning black and dissolving
Spore evidence
Dark brown to black

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

Explore on the field map
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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
11,453
People who recorded it
7,411
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Apr–May, Oct–Nov
Records span
1970–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

Choose the hemisphere you want to study. Country detection is approximate and some countries span the equator.

Compare before concluding

Lookalikes to rule out

Galerina has a ring zone and rusty-brown spores, and does not dissolve into ink.

Brittlestems

harmless

Psathyrella are brown-spored and lack glittering granules.

Common ink cap is larger and gray and causes illness with alcohol.

Identification

The caps are tawny to honey brown, bell-shaped, and finely grooved. Fresh caps glitter with tiny white granules like mica, which wash off in rain. Gills turn black and slowly dissolve. They grow in dense clusters from wood.

Uses and ecology

Mica caps are one of the most common urban mushrooms, appearing on stumps and lawns over buried roots. They must be cooked soon after picking.

Memorable fact

The glittering granules are fragments of the veil that covered the young cap.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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