the.com/inkcap
a mushroom that liquefies itself into black goo to fling its own spores
means An inkcap is a type of mushroom (genus Coprinus and relatives) whose gills dissolve into a black, ink-like liquid as it matures, releasing its spores in the process.
from A plain English compound of "ink" and "cap" — "ink" because the mushroom's dissolving gills produce a dark, inky fluid (people genuinely once used it as a writing ink), and "cap" for the umbrella-like top of a mushroom. The self-digesting process behind the name has its own scientific term, "deliquescence," from Latin deliquescere, "to melt away." The genus name Coprinus is less flattering: it comes from Greek kopros, "dung," since many inkcaps sprout from manure and rich, rotting ground.
- self-digestion
- dissolves into inky ooze called deliquescence
- writing ink
- historically brewed into actual document ink
- alcohol foe
- one species causes violent sickness if paired with drinking
- fast life
- sprouts and melts within a single day
- old name
- called tippler's bane for its hangover-from-hell trick
coprinellus disseminatus — common inkcap mushroom found worldwide, dissolves into black ink-like liquid within hours of fruiting
coprinus comatus — shaggy inkcap, edible species native to europe and north america, must be eaten immediately before auto-digestion
coprinellus atramentarius — alcohol inky cap of europe and asia, toxic when consumed with alcohol due to coprine compound