this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Mycology
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This looks very different than the inky caps I know (and eat). Different genus, too. Are these edible? The Genus I know is Coprinus. Not sire about parasoles.
For a long time, all the inky caps were in Coprinus. Then genetic testing revealed that Shaggy Mane inky caps (Coprinus Comatus and similar big shaggy meaty inky caps) aren't related to the others, they just evolved the ability to turn to ink independently to take advantage of whatever ecological niche turning to ink gets you (mycologists aren't really sure). Coprinus is in the Agaricus family (portabellos) while all the others are in the Psathyrella family (small mushrooms with thin brittle stems that no one really pays attention to).
So the big shaggy inkys got to keep Coprinus and the rest got new genera under Psathyrellaceae, one of which is Parasola.
As for the question of edibility, Parasola are likely not toxic but they're too small for anyone to really consider eating.
The most commonly eaten ex-Coprinus are the Coprinopsis Atramentaria complex which are the ones that make you sick if you have alcohol within a couple days or so of eating them. The real Coprinus don't react with alcohol.