Closed pileus up to 8 x 7 mm, usually pale brown, yellow-brown, ochre, (Mu. 10 YR 4-6/6, 7/4, K.& W. 5C3-4, 5C/D5, 5D8) at centre, paler towards margin (Mu. 10 YR 6/4 to 8/2), sometimes almost entirely white; expanding pileus up to 15(-20) mm wide. Whitish to brown granular-flocculose veil present on pileus. Lamellae narrowly to rather broadly adnate, c. 3 mm wide, length divided by breadth < 3; L = 16-32, l = 0-3, white to blackish. Stipe 20-40(-60) x 1-1.5 mm, white to greyish white, often somewhat vitreous, pubescent.
  Spores [100,5,5] 6.6-9.7 x 4.1-5.8 µm, av. L = 7.7-9.2, av. B = 4.7-5.5 µm, Q = 1.45-1.90, av. Q = 1.55-1.75, ovoid, obconical at base, truncate; germ pore central, c. 1.5 µm wide. Basidia 16-40 x 5-8 µm, 4-spored. Pseudoparaphyses 4-6 per basidium. Cheilocystidia absent (pileocystidia continuing along edge of lamellae over short distance). Pleurocystidia absent. Pileocystidia 50-200 x 15-24 µm, lageniform with cylindrical, 6-15(-17) µm wide neck and rounded apex. Sclerocystidia absent. Velar spherocysts on pileipellis up to 40 µm in diam., usually numerous. Clamp-connections not found (short side-branches of hyphae near septa, resembling clamps-connections, often obser- ved).

Habitat

  On and near wood, gregarious and fasciculate, often in large quantities. Very common.

Remarks

  Coprinus disseminatus is one of the best known inkcaps. It generally grows with numerous basidiocarps on and around stumps of trees or on soil mixed with wood fragments. The velar spherocysts and typical spore-shape together with the long pileocystidia with cylindrical neck and rounded apex, make this species easily recognizable. Macroscopically, C. disseminatus may be mistaken for Psathyrella pygmaea (Quél.) Sing., which has a similar habit (fasciculate) and more or less the same appearance. Coprinus hiascens too resembles C. disseminatus somewhat in habit and in the shape of the spores (see discus- sion under C. hiascens).
  Lanconelli & Lanzoni (1988: 236) report the presence of a small number of ellipsoid and fusiform cheilocystidia in one of the four collections of C. disseminatus analyzed by them.