''Coprinopsis nivea'' is a species of
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...
producing
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
in the family
Psathyrellaceae
The Psathyrellaceae are a family of dark-spored agarics that generally have rather soft, fragile fruiting bodies, and are characterized by black, dark brown, rarely reddish, or even pastel-colored spore prints. About 50% of species produce fruit ...
. It is commonly known as the snowy inkcap.
Taxonomy
It was first
described in 1801 by the German mycologist
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1 February 1761 – 16 November 1836) was a German mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy.
Early life
Persoon was born in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope, the third child of an immig ...
who classified it as ''Agaricus niveus.''
In 1838 it was reclassified as ''Coprinus niveus'' by the Swedish mycologist
Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist.
Career
Fries was born at Femsjö (Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö.
He acquired ...
.
In 2001
phylogentic analysis restructured the ''
Coprinus
''Coprinus'' is a small genus of mushroom-forming fungi consisting of '' Coprinus comatus''the shaggy ink cap (British) or shaggy mane (American)and several of its close relatives. Until 2001, ''Coprinus'' was a large genus consisting of all aga ...
'' genus and it was reclassified as ''Coprinopsis nivea'' by the mycologists
Scott Alan Redhead
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...
,
Rytas J. Vilgalys &
Jean-Marc Moncalvo.
Description
''Coprinopsis nivea'' is a small inkcap mushroom which grows in wetland environments.
Cap: 1.5–3 cm. Starts egg shaped expanding to become
campanulate
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
(bell shaped). Covered in white powdery fragments of the veil when young. Gills: Start white before turning grey and ultimately black and
deliquescing (dissolving into an ink-like black substance). Crowded and adnate or free. Stem: 3–9 cm long and 4-7mm in diameter. White with a very slightly bulbous base which may present with white tufts similar to that of the cap. Spore print: Black. Spores: Flattened ellipsoid and smooth with a germ pore. 15-19 x 8.5-10.5 μm. Taste: Indistinct. Smell: Indistinct.
Etymology
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''nivea'' (originally ''niveus'') is Latin for snowy or snow covered.
This is a reference to the powdery white appearance of this mushroom.
Habitat and distribution
Grows in small trooping or tufting groups on old
dung, especially that of cows
and horses, Summer through late Autumn. Widespread and recorded quite regularly.
Similar species
* ''
Coprinopsis pseudonivea.''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28492325
Psathyrellaceae
Coprinopsis