Pleated Inkcap Parasola plicatilis


Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis)
Discovered in local field. 29th July 2015. © Peter Hillman
Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis)
Discovered in local field. 29th July 2015. © Peter Hillman

This is a small mushroom which is often found growing in short grass. It is one of those fungi which will appear over night after rain, and will suddenly disappear again.

A pleated, domed fungi, shaped much like a Japanese parasol, with a dark orange disc in the top centre. The gills are white to begin with and then turn grey and then black. They are free of the stem. The stem is tall and thin, and pale in colour. It is very fragile and breaks easily. The spores are black in mass.

Common and widespread throughout Britain. Native.


Size
Cap 1-2 cm in diameter
Stem Up to 6 cm tall, 4-5 mm in diameter

When to see it
Spring to late autumn.

Where to see it
Singly or in groups in meadows, lawns, and other grassy places, usually in short grass. It appears overnight and withers by noon.

Other names
Little Japanese Umbrella

Class
Agaricomycetes

Order
Agaricales (Gilled mushrooms)

Family
Psathyrellaceae (Brittlestems & Inkcaps)


More photos

Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis)
Discovered in local field.
29th July 2015. © Peter Hillman
Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis) gills
Discovered in local field.
29th July 2015. © Peter Hillman
Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis)
Discovered on grass verge.
15th October 2016. © Peter Hillman