The Living Fungi LibraryFungi LibraryMushroom Forage Map
FungiHerbs
Open field map
Tall white shaggy mane mushrooms in grass
Edibleintermediate

Shaggy Mane

Coprinus comatus / Lawyer's wig

A tall white ink cap whose shaggy cylinder dissolves from the rim into black liquid as it matures.

Photo: Tom Norton, CC BY
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingUpdated Content checked
Identification warning

Only young, all-white specimens are considered edible, and every lawn button should be sliced to rule out an Amanita structure.

Season
Late summer through fall
Habitat
Lawns, trail edges, compacted ground, and other disturbed soil
Underside
Crowded gills changing white to pink to black
Spore evidence
Black

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

Explore on the field map
Loading map…
Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
49,941
People who recorded it
30,869
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Sep–Oct
Records span
1968–2026

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

Common Inky Cap

sickener

Coprinopsis atramentaria is smooth and gray-brown, without shaggy scales, and can trigger an alcohol reaction.

Green-spored Parasol

toxic

It develops a parasol shape, never dissolves into ink, and produces a green spore print.

Amanita button

deadly

Slice young specimens vertically; any hidden cap, gills, stem, or volva means it is not a shaggy mane.

Identification

The young cap is a tall white cylinder covered with shaggy, upturned scales. As it matures, the gills shift from white to pink to black and the cap dissolves into ink from the rim upward. A loose ring may remain on the stem. This self-digestion is a powerful clue, but only once other lawn mushrooms have been ruled out.

Uses and ecology

Young, completely white shaggy manes are delicate cooked edibles and deteriorate within hours, even under refrigeration. Their smooth gray relative, the common inky cap, contains coprine and can cause a severe alcohol reaction. Shaggy mane ink has historically been used as writing ink.

Memorable fact

These mushrooms can force their way through and buckle asphalt.

Evidence and regional scope

Michael Kuo describes the elongated shaggy cap, darkening gills and disturbed-ground habitat, with comparisons to other inkcaps. Field description and cited specimen evidence. This source supports morphology and ecology, not edibility or preparation advice. Independent review of this profile remains pending.

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
Back to the fungi library