Coprinus comatus

Shaggy ink cap

The shaggy mane or lawyer's wig: a tall, shaggy white mushroom of disturbed grass, verges and lawns that dissolves into black ink within hours of maturing. It is a soil saprotroph and even traps nematodes. It is grown commercially in China on composted substrate with a casing layer, and must be eaten on the day it is picked.

Coprinus comatus — Photo: A. Uciechowska, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest period

Where it grows wild

Grassland, meadows, road verges, lawns and disturbed ground rich in buried organic matter.

Recorded elevations span 11–1450 m, median 625 m (12 records).

EuropeNorth AmericaTemperate Asia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.