''Coprinus calyptratus'' is a species of

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 Agaricaceae. It is commonly known as the Star-capped Coprinus.

Taxonomy

''Coprinus calyptratus'' was classified by the American mycologist

Charles Horton Peck Charles Horton Peck (March 30, 1833 – July 11, 1917) was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the New York State Botanist from 1867 to 1915, a period in which he described over 2,700 species of North American fun ...

in 1895.

Description

''C. calyptratus'' is a small inkcap mushroom with white flesh and a distinctive star shaped veil remnant on the cap. Cap: 4-6cm. Starts egg shaped and covered in a veil before expanding to become campanulate which may flatten or curl upwards with age. Gills: Free and crowded soon turning black. Stem: 5-15cm tall. 0.5-1cm in thickness. Lacks a ring and roots in the ground ending in a small basal bulb. Spores: Subellipsoid or subovoid with a large pore. 17-20 x 10-12 µm. Taste: Indistinct. Smell: Indistinct.

Etymology

''Coprinus'' is derived from the Greek kóprinos meaning full of dung. ''Calyptratus'' derives from the Latin calyptra meaning covered seed capsules. This in reference to remnants of the universal veil which remain on the cap as scales which Peck described as calyptra.

Habitat and distribution

''C. calyptratus'' is found primarily on the West Coast of the United States. It is found on sandy soil which has been disturbed in which the bulbous base of the deep rooting stem may be hidden. It is slightly smaller than the well known ''

Coprinus comatus ''Coprinus comatus'', the shaggy ink cap, lawyer's wig, or shaggy mane, is a common fungus often seen growing on lawns, along gravel roads and waste areas. The young fruit bodies first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then th ...

'' and has a star shaped patch of universal veil remnant in the centre of the cap.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107588853 Agaricaceae Fungi of North America Species described in 1895