Pileus 5-20 x 3-15 mm when still closed, 8-30(-40) mm when expanded, ellipsoid, ovoid, at first white, soon becoming grey, centre dark (Mu. 5 YR 2.5/2, 7.5 YR 5/2, 10 YR 4/3 below veil). Veil white to grey, breaking up in small, radial hairy-fibrillose scales, not in patches. Lamellae, L = 18-42, l = 0-3, free, first white, then greyish, finally blackish. Stipe up to 80 x 1-3 mm, whitish, base slightly clavate.
  Spores [80,4,3] 7.3-11.2 x 5.4-8.2 µm, ovoid, rather truncate, very dark red-brown, with warty ornamentation and central, 1.5-2 µm wide germ pore; Q = 1.20-1.50, av. Q = 1.30-1.40; av. L = 8.4-10.6, av. B = 6.0-7.6 µm. Basidia 20-35 x 7-9 µm, 4-spored, surrounded by 3-6 pseudoparaphyses. Pleurocystidia 50-110 x 20-35 µm, ellipsoid, oblong, utriform or cylindrical. Cheilocystidia 30-70 x 15-30 µm, ellipsoid, ovoid, vesiculose or utriform. Elements of veil thin-walled, diverticulate, 2-8 µm wide. Clamp-connections present.

Habitat & distribution

  Subfasciculate, in small groups, a few together on wood, generally on dead branches on the ground. Also on burned places. Not common but widespread in Europe; also recorded from Japan.

Remarks

  Coprinus lagopides (=C. phlyctidosporus) resembles a small specimen of C. lagopus. It is microscopically clearly distinguished by the warty, ovoid spores and 4-spored basidia.