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Coprinus comatus

Coprinus comatus

7.7
A common mushroom you can eat with a long shaggy white cap that turns black and liquid as it ages
  • noun
translation icon : Coprinus comatus
  • The Coprinus comatus is easy to recognize by its shaggy white cap and tall, slender shape.

Examples

  • Many foragers collect Coprinus comatus in the wild because it is a delicious edible mushroom.

  • If left unpicked, Coprinus comatus quickly liquefies into a black, inky substance.

  • The Coprinus comatus is often found in grassy areas.

  • Have you ever tried Coprinus comatus in a salad?

  • Many foragers collect Coprinus comatus in the wild because it is a delicious edible mushroom.

  • The Coprinus comatus is easy to recognize by its shaggy white cap and tall, slender shape.

  • Have you ever tried Coprinus comatus in a salad?

Synonyms

shaggymane mushroom
vsCoprinus comatus
  • Specialized
7.2

A common mushroom with a long shaggy white cap that you can eat

is the common name used rather than the scientific label
shaggy cap
vsCoprinus comatus
7.2

A common white mushroom with a long shaggy cap that people eat

is the standard common name rather than this variant term
shaggymane
vsCoprinus comatus
9.6

A common edible mushroom with a tall, shaggy white cap that turns black as it ages

describes the species generally without stressing the maturity stage

Surface Forms

Morphology

Coprinus + comatus

This is a Latin scientific name (binomial) composed of a technical genus label and a Latin adjective not listed in the learner-facing dictionary; an average B1 learner who knows the English meanings of any recognizable parts would still not be able to infer 'a shaggy ink-cap mushroom' from 'Coprinus comatus'. Species names are lexicalized and language-specific, and the adjective 'comatus' is not a familiar English word, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Coprinus comatus comes from two older words: Coprinus means 'of dung' and comatus means 'hairy'. This gives a clear picture, because the mushroom has a shaggy, hair-like white cap and often grows on animal droppings, so the name helps you remember what it looks like and where it is found.