Parasola leiocephala

Posted by Don 7/25/12 - - - - Scroll Down for the Discussion

Don: I assume this is a coprinus plicatilus,
but the color is not exactly what I see in the literature.
What a spectacular little mushroom!

Sava: Nice collection and nice picture,
It does look like Parasola plicatilis,
except that this thing normally grows in grass.
Now I'm reading what MatchMaker and Michael Kuo say
( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/parasola_plicatilis.html ),
and it seems that there is another mushroom,
Parasola leiocephala, that looks the same but has significantly smaller spores
and grows in bare soil.

If you get a chance, can you look at the spores and measure them?
Or save some of these mushrooms---I'd be happy to scope them.
(Fortunately, the gills of this "Coprinus" don't turn into ink.)

Don: I went out to look for samples to get spores from and they are totally gone.
It is not the first time I have seen them though,
so I will look more closely next time they fruit.