Distribution: Broad

Habitat: Occurs widely in many natural and disturbed habitats, including gardens and other urban settings

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Edibility: C. atramentaria is a fairly good edible, but should not be consumed with, or even within about 48 hours of drinking, alcoholic beverages due to the presence of coprine which causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms.

C. atramentaria is a fairly good edible, but should not be consumed with, or even within about 48 hours of drinking, alcoholic beverages due to the presence of coprine which causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms.

Coprinopsis atramentaria is a very common, large, and easily recognized species. It has a smooth to longitudinally wrinkled or scaly, silvery gray to brown, bullet- to bell-shaped cap and usually occurs in dense clusters that may seem to be nothing but a mass of caps until they have liquefied, leaving naked stipes behind. Like many widespread species that exhibit wide variation in color, surface texture, and other features, there may be several species currently passing as one.

Sources: Trudell, Steve and Joe Ammirati. Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Timber Press, Inc. 2009.