Coprinopsis atramentaria Mushroom
Coprinopsis atramentaria Mushroom

Coprinopsis atramentaria Mushroom

Regular price $180.00 CAD

9 inches by 3 cedar root base 

3 felt mushrooms and felt moss 

Different items in the shop (pin, felt, etc) might be shipped separately. 

The mushroom doesn't open to form the typical umbrella shape of grocery store mushrooms until it begins autodigestion, turning black as it does so. It begins to digest itself in as little as twenty-four hours after its first appearance. Enzymes called chitinases break down the chitin providing strength to the cell walls in the gills and cap, which destroys the cells in these areas.

Autodigestion begins at the edge of the cap and proceeds inwards. The cap opens and the edge curls upward as digestion takes place, exposing successive layers of spores to air currents. The gills are tightly packed, so their digestion helps to free the spores. In some inky cap mushrooms deliquescence or liquefaction of the cap is complete, while in others it's only partial.