Pileus up to 35 x 30 mm when still closed, subglobose, ovoid or ellipsoid, expanding to conical or convex and then up to 50 mm wide, deep ochre or rust (Mu. 5 YR 3/4-4/6, 7.5 YR 4/6), paler towards margin, covered with minute, granular, whitish flocks, soon dissapearing. Lamellae, L = c. 55-60, l = 3-5, free, first white then grey-brown to black, 3-8 mm broad. Stipe 30-100 x 2-6 mm, white, base clavate or bulbous, often with a volva-like margin.
  Spores 6.8-10.2 x 5.0-6.7 x 4.3-5.5 µm, Q = 1.25-1.85, av. Q = 1.35-1.75, av. L = 7.4-9.8 µm, av. B = 53-6.3 µm, ellipsoid or ovoid, with conical base and truncate apex, medium red-brown; germ pore central, 1.3-1.5 µm wide. Basidia 16-43 x 7-9 µm, 4-spored, surrounded by 3-5(-6) pseudoparaphyses. Pleurocystidia 60-150 x 30-70 µm, ellipsoid, ovoid or oblong. Cheilocystidia 30-140 x 30-80 µm, (sub)globose, ellipsoid, oblong or ovoid. Caulocystidia up to 100 µm long, lageniform. Veil made up of (sub)globose cells, 15-60(-75) µm in diam., thin-walled, connected by narrowly, somewhat diverticulate hyphae. Pileipellis a epithelioid hymeniderm. Clamp-connections not found, only pseudoclamps.

Habitat & distribution

  Fasciculate or gregarious around truncs or on dead trees. Very common in Europe, America and Japan.

Remarks

  Coprinus micaceus differs from the other species in the complex by the spores with distinct conical base and the caulocystidia on the stipe.