Coprinellus impatiens

Appearance

The cap of the fruit bodies is initially egg-shaped, then conical to convex before flattening out, reaching diameters between 1.8 to 4 cm . It has deep narrow grooves reaching almost as far as the center of the cap. The surface color is a pale buff, tawny or cinnamon towards the center, but the color loses intensity when the mushroom is dry. The flesh is whitish, thin, fragile and barely deliquescent . The gills are initially buff, then turn grayish-brown. They are either free from attachment to the stem, or ''adnexed'', meaning only a small portion of the gill is attached. The stem is whitish, very slender, and more or less equal in width throughout its length, or slightly thicker at the base; its dimensions are 7 to 10 cm by 0.2 to 0.4 cm thick. The stem surface of young specimens are ''pruinose''—appearing to be coated with a minute layer of fine white particles; this eventually is sloughed off, leaving a smooth or silky surface. The odor and taste of the fruit bodies are not distinctive. The gills of this species do not autodigest with age, or barely do so; the fruit bodies tend to become more fragile with age.

The spore print is dark brown. The spores are smooth, ellipsoid or almond-shaped, with a germ pore; they measure 9–12 by 5–6 μm. The spore-bearing cells, the basidia, are four-spored and tetramorphic . The cheilocystidia are roughly spherical, 20–35 μm broad, or lageniform , 36–64 by 10–15 μm, with the apex often rather acute, about 3–5 μm wide. Pleurocystidia are absent in this species.

Naming

''Coprinellus disseminatus'' resembles ''C. impatiens'', but may be distinguished by its slightly larger fruit body, somewhat deliquescent gills, and tendency to fruit in smaller groups on the ground, rather than on or around rotting wood. Also, ''C. disseminatus'' has smaller spores than ''C. impatiens'', typically 6.6–9.7 by 4.1–5.8 μm. ''C. eurysporus'' is similar to ''C. disseminatus'' but usually grows in groups on fallen branches, and has broader spores that measure 8.3–10.3 by 6.7–8.4 µm. ''C. hiascens'' usually grows in small dense clumps, has narrower spores (typically 9–11 by 4.5–5.5 μm, and produces smaller fruit bodies.

Distribution

''Coprinellus impatiens'' is found in North America and Europe including northern Turkey. In the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, it is found in Oregon and Idaho. Fruit bodies grow solitarily, or rarely in small bundles, on forest litter in deciduous forests, especially ones dominated by beech.

Habitat

''Coprinellus impatiens'' is found in North America and Europe including northern Turkey. In the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, it is found in Oregon and Idaho. Fruit bodies grow solitarily, or rarely in small bundles, on forest litter in deciduous forests, especially ones dominated by beech.