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Cap color

Black

Black — mushrooms with the trait «Black»

A truly black cap, like soot or coal, is quite rare in healthy mushrooms. Mycologists usually describe "black" mushrooms as dark brown or dark olive, but there are a few species whose natural color really comes close to pure black. This color (caused by a high concentration of melanin) protects mushrooms from cold and ultraviolet light.

22 species in the database.

Naturally black mushrooms

M.Ya. Zerova and Roger Phillips give the most interesting examples of mushrooms for which black is the norm:

1. Horn of plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides): This mushroom looks like a black or ashy-black funnel or horn growing out of the ground. It is often called the "trumpet of the dead," and beginners avoid it in a panic. Yet it is one of the finest delicacies. In the West the horn of plenty is valued on a par with truffles; it is dried and used as a spice (it develops a powerful aroma).

2. Ugly milk cap (Lactarius turpis): This mushroom has a dark green cap that becomes practically coal-black with age or when wet.

3. Leccinum melaneum: Has a very dark, almost black cap that sets it apart from the classic pale brown birch bolete.

Black as a sign of a dying mushroom

David Arora stresses a very important rule: for most gilled mushrooms, a cap turning black is a sign of dying, rotting or frost damage.

- Frost: If a pale mushroom (for example, a brittlegill or honey fungus) is caught by a hard frost overnight, its cells are ruptured by ice crystals. By morning the cap turns black, watery and jelly-like.

- Rot: Ink caps (Coprinus), such as the shaggy ink cap, turn their cap and gills into black ink through autolysis (self-digestion). They are edible only when perfectly white; as soon as black appears, the mushroom has spoiled.

Questions and answers

If I found a black funnel-shaped mushroom (horn of plenty), how should I cook it?
The horn of plenty is best dried. When dried, it keeps its black color and develops an incredibly strong, truffle-like fruity aroma. It is ground into a powder and added to sauces or meat.
Are there black amanitas?
No, amanitas are never pure black. However, some very dark grisettes (Amanita) or old panther caps can look dark brown or blackish. Since these mushrooms belong to a dangerous family, take special care when picking any gilled mushrooms with dark caps.

Sources

  1. 1.Зерова М.Я. та ін. Визначник грибів України. 1979
  2. 2.Roger Phillips. Mushrooms (Roger Phillips)
  3. 3.David Arora. Mushrooms Demystified
  4. 4.Index Fungorum