Clumps of mushrooms arise after rain from spring to autumn, commonly in urban and disturbed habitats such as vacant lots and lawns, as well as grassy areas.

It can be eaten, but due to the presence of coprine within the mushroom, it is poisonous when consumed with alcohol, as it heightens the body's sensitivity to ethanol in a similar manner to the anti-alcoholism drug disulfiram.

The common ink cap was first described by French naturalist Pierre Bulliard in 1786 as Agaricus atramentarius before being placed in the large genus Coprinus in 1838 by Elias Magnus Fries.

[2] The term "tippler's bane" is derived from its ability to create acute sensitivity to alcohol, similar to disulfiram (Antabuse).

[3] Coprinopsis atramentaria occurs across the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, North America, and Asia,[10] but has also been found in Australia,[11] where it has been recorded from such urban locations as the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney and around Lake Torrens,[12] and also in South Africa.

It is commonly associated with buried wood and is found in grassland, meadows, disturbed ground, and open terrain from late spring to autumn.

[15] It is also common in urban areas and appears in vacant lots, and tufts of fungi can be quite large and fruit several times a year.

Symptoms include facial reddening, nausea, vomiting, malaise, agitation, palpitations, and tingling in limbs, and arise five to ten minutes after consumption of alcohol.

[20] The symptoms can occur if even a small amount of alcohol is consumed up to three days after eating the mushrooms, although they are milder as more time passes.