Mycoscout The short answer
A shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus; shaggy ink cap or lawyer's wig in the UK) is a white cylinder, 5–15 cm tall, whose surface breaks into large shaggy, upturned scales under a pale brown top; it has a ring on the stem and grows in grass, verges, wood chips and hard-packed ground. A common inky cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria; alcohol inky or tippler's bane) is a smooth grey to grey-brown egg that opens to a bell, faintly grooved, without shaggy scales, and grows in clusters from rotting or buried wood. Both dissolve into black ink from the edge inward.
The limit is the alcohol rule. The common inky cap is edible in some guides and poisonous in others, because its toxin only acts with alcohol, and the window is counted in days. Check the scales, the color, the cluster and the substrate, not one of them.
Side by side
| Feature | Shaggy mane | Common inky cap |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 5–10 cm tall, to 15 cm, up to 6 cm wide; oval to cylindrical, opens to a bell; white with a pale brown top, breaking into large recurved scales | 3–7 cm across (First Nature); to 10 cm (Kuo); egg-shaped then bell-shaped; lead grey to grey-brown; smooth to finely scurfy at the center, faintly grooved |
| Underside | Gills white, then pink, then black; free, crowded; liquefy from the edge | Gills white, then lavender-grey or brown, then black; liquefy |
| Stem and base | 10–15 mm thick, up to 30 cm tall (First Nature), 5–20 cm (Kuo); white, hollow, with a string-like strand inside; slightly bulbous base | 8–15 mm thick, 5–12 cm tall; white, hollow, fibrous; reddish-brown fibrils toward the base |
| Ring | Present; soon stained black and movable, often slides to the base | Not described as a ring by most sources; a faint veil zone at most |
| Flesh when cut | White, thin; deliquesces | White, thin; deliquesces |
| Smell | Not distinctive | Not distinctive |
| Spore print | Black | Black |
| Habitat and growth | Lawns, verges, path edges, wood chips, disturbed ground, even through asphalt; in groups, lines and rings | On or beside stumps, from buried wood and roots, in parks, gardens and urban ground; in tight clusters |
| Season | April to November (UK); September to October (Missouri); summer and fall | May to November (UK); May to September (Missouri); spring to fall |
| Range | Widespread in Britain, Europe and North America | Widespread in Britain, Europe and North America |
Features that do not separate them
- Turning to black ink. Both do, and so do many other ink caps. Kuo notes that DNA puts the shaggy mane closer to Agaricus than to the other inky caps; deliquescing is not a family tie.
- Black spore print. Both.
- White gills on a young one. Both start white.
- A hollow white stem. Both.
- Urban ground. Both come up in parks, verges and disturbed soil. The common inky cap needs wood under it, but the wood is usually buried and invisible.
- "I ate it before and was fine." Coprine only acts with alcohol. A meal without a drink proves nothing about the next one with a drink.
The shaggy mane has its own trap: MDC says it lasts about 24 hours from emergence to ink, and First Nature advises cooking within an hour or two of picking. MDC also lists the green-spored lepiota as a shaggy mane look-alike on lawns; its cap is less cylindrical and its spores are green. The parasol vs false parasol page covers that one.
What happens if you get it wrong
The common inky cap contains coprine, which blocks the breakdown of alcohol. NAMA describes the reaction: within a few minutes of a drink, a racing heart and palpitations, tingling arms and legs, warmth and flushing, sometimes headache, heavy limbs and salivation. MDC lists body tingling, palpitations, headache and nausea and says you can become very sick. The Woodland Trust adds nausea and hot flushes.
The window is where sources disagree. First Nature, MDC and the Woodland Trust say no alcohol for three days before or after the meal. NAMA says alcohol can trigger the reaction up to five days after eating. MDC calls the species a good edible with caution; First Nature and the Woodland Trust call it poisonous with alcohol. This page lists it as poisonous because the danger depends on what you drink, not on what you can see. No source we read calls the reaction deadly, but palpitations are a reason to call for help.
Using an app to check a find
A photo can show the shaggy scales, the ring and the grey smooth cap, so photograph the cap surface close up and the whole cluster with its base. It cannot see the buried wood, and it cannot know what you will drink this week. Mycoscout leads with the edibility verdict, shows its confidence, and names the common inky cap and its alcohol reaction when you check a shaggy mane. It is not a clearance to eat. If any ink cap is going on a plate, the guide to lawn mushrooms and a local mycological society are the free checks worth making first.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell a shaggy mane from an inky cap?
The shaggy mane is a tall white cylinder covered in shaggy, upturned scales with a brownish top, a ring on the stem, and grows in grass or disturbed ground. The common inky cap is a smooth grey to grey-brown egg or bell, faintly grooved, no scales, in clusters from buried wood. Both turn to black ink with age.
How long after eating inky caps should you avoid alcohol?
Sources disagree. First Nature, MDC and the Woodland Trust say three days before and after the meal. NAMA says alcohol can trigger the reaction up to five days after. Use the longer figure.
What happens if you drink alcohol after eating common inky caps?
Within minutes: flushing and warmth, a racing heart and palpitations, tingling arms and legs, sometimes headache, heavy limbs, salivation and nausea. MDC says you can become very sick. Sources do not call it deadly.
Is the shaggy mane affected by alcohol?
None of our sources attaches the alcohol warning to the shaggy mane. The warning belongs to the common inky cap, which is why the two must not be confused.
Sources
How we checked this page: the Mycoscout team cross-checked every edibility, toxicity and look-alike statement against the sources below on October 31, 2026. It has not been reviewed by a mycologist.
- Coprinus comatus, Shaggy Inkcap, First Nature. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Coprinopsis atramentaria, Common Inkcap, First Nature. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus), Missouri Department of Conservation. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Alcohol Inky (Coprinopsis atramentaria), Missouri Department of Conservation. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Mushroom poisoning syndromes, North American Mycological Association. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Common inkcap, Woodland Trust. Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Coprinus comatus, MushroomExpert.com (Michael Kuo). Accessed October 31, 2026.
- Coprinopsis atramentaria, MushroomExpert.com (Michael Kuo). Accessed October 31, 2026.
