Magpie Inkcap

Habitat

This species occurs on soil in woodland environments, specifically favoring beech forests. It prefers alkaline or calcareous soils and is frequently found growing among leaf litter. It can be found growing individually, in small clusters, or in slightly tufted groups.

Photos

Appearance

Cap

Starts as an elongated cylinder or egg shape, maturing into a bell shape or conical form before flattening with an upturned edge; color transitions from white to sepia-grey and finally shiny black-brown, heavily decorated with white to clay-pink woolly patches of veil remnants.

Stem

Tall and slender, typically white, with a bulbous and woolly base; surface starts downy before becoming smooth and hollow over time.

Gills

Crowded and free or slightly attached, changing color from white to a pinkish-buff and finally to black as they dissolve into liquid.

Flesh

Initially white, eventually turning black and liquefying; possesses a strong, unpleasant odor reminiscent of naphthalene or bad breath.

Spore print

Black.

Edibility

Possessing a distinctively unpleasant odor compared to naphthalene or bad breath, this species is reported as poisonous by some but consumed by others without issue. It is known to cause gastric upset in some individuals. It could be confused with the rarer Coprinopsis stangliana, which grows in grass and has smaller spores.

Nutrient Source

It obtains nutrients by breaking down dead organic matter such as wood, leaf litter, and other decaying plant material.

Common Names

Basque

urbeltz zuri-beltz

Catalan

pixacà de garsa

Danish

Skade-blækhat

Dutch

spechtinktzwam, Spechtinktzwam

English

Magpie Inkcap, Magpie Fungus

French

Coprin noir et blanc, Coprin pie

German

Specht-Tintling

Norwegian Bokmål

ruteblekksopp

Norwegian Nynorsk

ruteblekksopp

Spanish

coprino blanco y negro

Swedish

rutbläcksvamp

Ukrainian

Гноєвик смолистий

Welsh

Cap Inc Du a Gwyn

Synonyms

• Agaricus picaceus
• Agaricus picaceus
• Coprinus picaceus