Species guide

Shaggy mane

Has dangerous lookalikes

Coprinus comatus

Shaggy mane
Photo: kdcs · CC BY

How to recognise it

A tall, white, cylindrical cap covered in shaggy, upturned scales. As it ages the cap edge dissolves into a black, inky liquid.

Is it dangerous?

Eaten by some foragers when very fresh, but it deteriorates within hours and has inky-cap relatives that react badly with alcohol. Edibility can't be judged from a photo.

Commonly confused with

  • Other inky caps some cause illness when combined with alcohol

What to do

Confirm any find with a local expert before considering it.

Never decide what's safe to eat or touch from a photo or a web page. Identification here is for learning and curiosity only. For anything you might eat, handle or that could harm you or a pet, consult a qualified local expert — and seek medical or veterinary care if exposure has happened.

Recorded 147,962 times in the wild worldwide.

Think you've spotted one?

Photograph it and let SpecieSense confirm the species — and show you the reasoning.

Identify a specimen

Related species guides