May 2005 Unknown |
|||
|
THIS MONTH'S WINNERS: Our May contest proved to be a stumper, although it might not have fooled a dedicated stump-watcher familiar with the "inky-cap" mushrooms. Several people guessed mushroom, but no-one even submitted a guess at the genus identification which is required for the prize. Thanks for your submissions. Please note: Prize winners are now drawn each month from the total pool of correct answers for that month. Thanks to all of those who submitted an entry to this contest. Good luck this month! |
A Cap Of Ink Reproductive Parasol of an 'Wolly Inky Cap' Mushroom
Members of the mushroom genus Coprinus are called 'inky caps' because the cap turns into a black inky ooze of spores as the mushrooms mature. There are many North American species in this genus (over 200 known species worldwide), including the popular and easy-to-recognize, Shaggy Mane mushroom, Coprinus comatus (below). Although the cap of the Shaggy Mane forms a large stout cylintrical cone, our May unknown was a delicate species, Coprinus lagopus. C. lagopus begins as a fine, unopened parasol covered with a frosty-looking layer of white (the veil). It opens to a lovely parasol, but then (within a few minutes!) it curls further to create the delicat vase-like structure show here, that seems to be the work of a practised sculpture. It then quickly deteriorates into a sticky mass of black spores and slime. In overview of Kingdom Fungi along with a fascinating look at the four main groups of Fungi can be viewed on our DVD program Branches on the Tree of Life: FUNGI and video program The Biology of Fungi | ||
