The shaggy mane (Coprinus comatus), also called the shaggy ink cap or lawyer's wig, is a tall, white, cylindrical mushroom whose bullet-shaped cap is clad in coarse, upturned SHAGGY SCALES that give it its name. A widespread choice edible with a delicate, mild flavour, it is famous for a peculiar habit: as it matures it digests itself from the rim upward, its gills melting into a black inky liquid — so it must be gathered young and cooked within hours before it deliquesces.