Fauna
Fungus

Grey Inkcap

Coprinopsis cinerea

Also known as Gray Shag, Ashy Inkcap

Grey inkcaps emerge rapidly from nutrient-rich organic waste, manure, and compost after wet weather. Their fragile, ash-grey caps open bell-shaped before undergoing autolysis, digesting their own tissues into a black ink-like liquid to disperse spores. Widely studied as a model organism in laboratory research, this fungus completes its entire fruiting cycle in under twenty-four hours.

FungusEphemeralDecomposer
Grey Inkcap reference1 / 7
James Lindsey / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyDecaying organic matter, Cellulose, Lignin
Predators
  • Fungus gnats
  • Slugs
  • Snails
ThreatsNone identified
HabitatsCompost piles, dung, rich organic soil, woodchips
Life span12 to 24 hours
Classification
  1. FamilyPsathyrellaceae
  2. SpeciesCoprinopsis cinerea
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
  • Observe quickly: Caps deliquesce into black liquid within hours of maturing.
  • Check substrate: Look on aged manure, compost piles, and woodchip mulch after rain.
  • Morning searches: Photograph early in the day before sunlight dries out fragile stems.
Related species
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