This post will be updated regularly... I'm already on version... say 4.20...

A cube is a cube is a cube... for the most part.

Potency can vary from one grow to another.

Bulk, also can vary from one grow to another.

Buy the spores that interest you. Perhaps you are interested in where they were found (Tasmania... India). Perhaps they look unique (Penis Envy, Malabars).

But the differences in BRAND NAME CUBES are usually SLIGHT... and can vary greatly from one grow to another... even if you are using spores from the SAME print.

Discuss the specifics of different cube "Strains" here. http://www.shroomery.org/forums/postlist.php/Journal/117267

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Here are the updated descriptions... only a few so far, but more will be added soon!
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B+

The B+ origins have become a thing of legend.

Nobody knows exactly where the cube which became B+ came from.

Mr G... who, "Created" B+ swears it is a Psilocybe cubensis/azurescens hybrid... MOST people disagree with this statement... and chalk it up as a marketing ploy. Nobody has been able to prove the B+ is an Azure hybrid.

There is little evidence to suggest cubes and azures could be crossed in this way. Although, some people say the caps of B+ resemble the cap of an Azure... and there are a few reports suggesting B+ spores may share some Azure traits as well. This is likely just wishful thinking.

B+ is known for its LARGE fruits. You will likely need a well hydrated cake/casing/tub to get the most out of B+... otherwise the shrooms may look a bit stringy or hollow and they may not reach their full potential.

B+ can be SLOWER growing than many other brand name cubes (but like EVERY cube, your experience may vary). B+  has been commonly known as a good strain for BEGINNING cultivators. Many believe B+ is a very forgiving strain which can grow in a wide range of temperatures and conditions.

As for the legend of the B+...

http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/612446#612446

This thread is an interesting read... including a rant from the infamous Mr. G. The man who allegedly started the rumor that he combined a cube with an azure, to create B+

Here's another good read.
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/66463#66463


Malabar India

Malabar is a unique cube.

It was discovered by 3M in Malabar, India.

The prints were given to several members of the online mushroom community and eventually, to vendors. The Shroomery's own Phrozendata, Roadkill and Thor all had a hand in domesticating this strain.

Malabar is known for its caps and veils. The veils may stay connected to the cap, even when the cap is fully mature. The cap itself is known to be dark in the center and it fades to a light yellow near the edge.

Malabar is a beautiful strain, known for its meaty stems.

Allen Strain

According to Roadkill, the Allen Strain was discovered by Mushroom John Allen near Ban Tailing Ngam, on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand.

Roadkill domesticated the only wild print and named it after the man who discovered it.

Allen Strain has been observed to have an egg shaped cap when it is immature.

Redboy

Redboy was a popular cube a few decades ago but it was thought by many to be long lost. RogerRabbit had an old print and used almost all his spores attempting to get it to germinate. It was simply too old. He had to resort to crossing Redboy with Puerto Rican and a little rattle snake venom. It worked. Here's the story in RogerRabbit's own words:

"After 20 years of sleeping, the RedBoy lives! A mycological Coup d'Etat had to be pulled off to get this mushroom back after 20 years. The spores would simply NOT germinate.

Monokaryotic Puerto Rico mycelium was allowed to crawl over the non-germinating original 20 year old redboy spores in a petri dish, resulting in a 50/50 cross between the redboy spores and the PR mycelium, without the original spores ever germinating, which they were no longer capable of after 20 years.

Rattlesnake venom was added to the agar after cooling to weaken both the cell walls of the spores, and the cell walls of the mycelium, allowing the nucleus from each to exchange genetic information between them. The experiment was duplicated with the offspring, resulting in a 75% pure strain, which was then released to the public.

The result is a 'cross' between the original UNgerminated redboy spores and a cubensis from puerto rico. Even though this is a cross,(NOT hybrid since it's two strains of the same species) you can clearly see the red color of the spores.

Enjoy."

Redboy's red spores are supposedly darker than PF Redspore. According to RogerRabbit, Redboy also, bruises green.

A unique cube indeed. A lot of work went into bringing the Redboy back.

Available at www.ralphstersspores.com

Link to primary source: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/4520275#4520275


Koh Samui (and Koh Samui Super Strain)

Koh Samui was discovered by Mushroom John Allen.

According to www.thehawkseye.com

"Another great psilocybe mushroom brought to us by Enthomycologist John Allen from his travels through Thailand. This beauty was picked in the town of Hua Thanon on the island of Koh Samui."

Koh Samui is known for shorter than average fruits with meaty stems that are noticeably wider on the bottom than at the top. For its height, Koh Samui can have unusually large caps but Koh Samui from time to time, puts out some surprisingly normal looking fruits. Pins commonly have red tops with white spots. The caps turn red-brown with maturity.

Koh Samui Super Strain came from an isolated KS substrain. There is much debate over weather KSSS is actually a, "Super Strain". Some people swear by it, some long for the original. Some think it is less varied in appearance than the original. Your results may vary.

Many people are found of Koh Samui. It is usually easy to recognize from  picture alone. It is a great addition to any collection.

Penis Envy (Classic)
According to various sources including long-time Shroomerite, Mushroom John Allen (AKA mjshroomer), Penis Envy was discovered in Amazonian Columbia by Terrance McKenna and his brother.

Penis Envy was thought, by many, to be long lost until Mushroom John found a bulk print vendor, Rick Gee of MycoTech (see link at end of description), who was selling viable swabs* of PE. Long-time Shroomery Sponsors (including www.Sporeworks.com and www.thehawkseye.com) later, reintroduced Penis Envy in print and syringe form, to the public.

Today, many vendors sell Penis Envy.

PE has been successfully crossed with other strains, giving us new PE variations including PE #6 (Texas crossed with PE), PE Uncut (PE crossed with albino), and Albino PE (again, crossed with albino).

Since the cap rarely separates too far from the stem, a Penis Envy fruit can look like a circumcised penis.

Penis Envy often has a thick gnarly stem and releases very few spores.

With Penis Envy, just because you see fruits does not mean you will see spores. Penis Envy fruits are often sterile (few or no spores drop) and the gills of the sterile fruit can be light yellow in color (Instead of spore-filled and dark). Later flushes usually bring more spores than the early flushes, but often only a couple fruits drop spores.

Penis Envy fruits often grow slower than a typical cube (but your results can and WILL vary). Those thick stems can take a while to reach full maturity. The DENSE fruits don't shrink much when dried.

It is not uncommon for Penis Envy to flush the occasional ALBINO fruit.

Because it looks like a penis when fruited, Penis Envy is a love/hate strain. Many people have different opinions about this odd and unique cube.

*A sterile, cotton swab is sometimes rubbed along the gills to collect spores from hard to print strains.

Source link: http://www.sky-tribe.com/Uploads/st_42358_CULTIVATING_THE_SHROOM_WI

Penis Envy Uncut
Workman... while attempting to cross PF Albino with Penis Envy happened across an interesting isolate. While this PFA/PE cross shared many of Penis Envy's external, macroscopic traits, the veils often stayed attached to the stems. This means the fruits can look like uncircumcised penises.

PEU albinism is not unheard of. But the, "Strain" is not yet known for its albino fruits... just its, "Namesake veil" to quote Workman.

Like Penis Envy, PEU is often sterile, and spores may be few and far between.

This is still a relatively new strain. Perhaps there is still more to be learned about the traits of PEU.

Link to primary source: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/7182930#7182930

Penis Envy #6
Shroomery veteran RogerRabbit, "Crossed a standard PE with the Tex strain." The result was PE 6.

RogerRabbit's efforts were an attempt to create a PE strain which produced more spores... but the spores were accidentally released too early... when a few prints were unintentionally mailed out, in a stack of other prints.

Here's how RogerRabbit says PE 6 came to be.

"A single sector fruiting isolate of PE, and another of TEX were placed on a petri dish with rattlesnake venom added to the agar. The snake venom helped the two dikaryotic strains share genetic information to form a third sector, which was which was labeled PE6. Other Isolates of the PE were labeled PE 1-7, and apparently, some of the 6, which was the cross, were in the same batch of prints. The idea was to get a good spore producing PE, but I never had time to stabilize the strain due to accidentally releasing it early. That's why sometimes they look like texans and sometimes very much like PE."

PE 6 looks like a cross between Penis envy and Texans. The fruits often have LARGE caps, which open fully, unlike classic PE. They also produce spores. While the stems look quite a bit like PE. Thick and textured. Like little logs.

RogerRabbit confirms this description: "the caps that opened fully have fewer spores like PE, and they have the same gnarly stems too. Only the caps seem to be bigger and to open all the way."

Link to Primary source: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/7624855#7624855

Psilocybe Fanaticus Classic (PF Classic)
PF Classic is a sentimental favorite among many Cubensis enthusiasts. PF Classic peaked in popularity in the late 1990's through 2002.

According to Workman, "PF "Classic" was initially purchased by PF from the Homestead Company (one of the few cubensis spore sources at the time) around 1990. No one seems to be sure where the original wild spores were collected, but it has been suggested that they are of Matias Romero stock, which it does resemble."

PF's strains were almost lost to degeneration. Some wonder if the degeneration was due to black light exposure... but Workman suspects the PF strains are all infected with a fungal virus... which may contribute to PF Classic's propensity to mutate (PF Classic has spawned the PF Albino AND the PF Redspore) and degenerate.

PF Classic is not known to produce many spores. You may have to wait longer for PF Classic spore production to begin, than with most cubes. Once the cap breaks and the veil extends, you still may have to wait an extra day or so... before sporulation.

Professor Fanaticus created the PF Tek in 1991. This tek allowed people to cultivate mushrooms without a pressure cooker, grain, glove box or a flow hood. The PF Tek greatly simplified cubensis cultivation for hobby mycologists. The PF Tek is still very popular.

On Tuesday, February 18 2003 Professor Fanaticus' home was raided by the DEA (United States Drug Enforcement Agency).

Although selling cubensis spores is legal, it seems selling spores AND selling info on how to grow them was a problem for the American DEA. Compounding that problem, were the 11 grams of cubes and 2+ ounces of marijuana discovered during the raid.

Professor Fanaticus got off relatively easy (and he thanks his lawyer). He got 6 months of house detention and 3 years of probation. His wife was also given 3 years of probation. On Dec 14, 2006 the Professor's probation came to an end.

The Professor has recently turned 60 and now spends his time making music in the PNW.

Psilocybe Fanaticus Albino (AKA PF Albino or PFA)
The PF Albino is an albino variant of the PF Classic strain.

PFA fruits, the albinos at least, are waxy white in color, and bruise blue very easily.

Originally sold by Professor Fanaticus for a limited time, the albino was thought to be lost after the Professor's infamous strain degeneration and Federal case.

According to Workman, "The PF Albino appeared in 2000 and was sold by fanaticus.com for a short time, but was discontinued due to strain degeneration. The degeneration was blamed on UV (black) light exposure. I was fortunate enough to get a print of this strain soon after its release and kept it in cold storage until 2005."

Despite the claims that these mutations are different species because of changes in spore color, they are in fact still Psilocybe Cubensis.

www.sporeworks.com sells a version of the PFA which comes from 1998 spores, well before the degeneration of PF's strains. The PFA has been reintroduced to the world of mycology.

From multispore, about 25-50% of fruits will be albino. If you want an ALL albino flush, you'll need to isolate, or clone.

Pigmented PFA's drop more spores than the albino fruits. While the albino fruits CAN drop spores, the spores can be few and far between. Also, albino spores are CLEAR. To print an albino fruit, you'll want to print to foil or glass (or as a last resort, dark paper)... otherwise, you may not be able to see the spores at all.

Psilocybe Fanaticus Redspore (AKA PF Redspore... or just Redspore)
The PF Redspore is a variation of the PF Classic which produces brownish/red spores... instead of the purple/brown/black spores which are common for Psilocibe Cubensis. PF Redspore is not to be confused with Redboy, which is a DIFFERENT cube with red spores.

According to Workman, "The PF Redspore spontaneously appeared in a tray of PF Classic around 1996 but wasn't released until 2006. This was well after the www.fanaticus.com raid of February 18th 2003."

PF Redspore lacks the pigmentation to create darker spores and is an interesting addition to any collection.

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Here are some more descriptions, but the info is often misleading and outdated. Read it with a grain of salt .
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Quote:

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Magician26 said:


The following is a compilation of information i came across random places on the web. If there are any tidbits of information that you would like to add feel free to. I hope this helps answers question that people have about different strains. There is a lot of information that is incomplete and some might be wrong. So if you know more, please feel free to enlighten the fungi community.

the following information is not a work of my original creation. i just made it easier to locate.

Psilocybe cubensis B+

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

This strain was once sold by many spore companies as an easy to fruit variety of Psilocybe azurescens. Reports of the indoor cultivation of P. azurescens without refrigeration or a wood based substrate are likely the result of the mis-identified B+ or a similar cubensis strain.
The B+ strain is still highly sought after due to the larger than average fruit sizes, some reportedly reaching up to 14 inches in length. When compared to other P. cubensis strains, the B+ is often considered a giant fruiter. Average fruit body heights reach six to eight inches with caps averaging one to three inches in diameter during later flushes. Very large fruits can be expected on more nutrient rich substrates such cased grains, manure, compost and straw.
The B+ is a domesticated hybrid mushroom of unknown origin. Under a microscope, this strain closely resembles a P.cubensis but shares some characteristics resembling a P.azurescens.
It's a unique P.cubensis strain and performs very well indoors making it a popular strain for home hobbyists. It tends to yield larger than average fruit bodies that range from moderate to potent for a P.cubensis strain.

Psilocybe cubensis Cambodia

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Concentrated Flour*, Grains, WSC*, PWS*, Dung
Colonization: Fast
Fruit body Size: Medium - well proportioned

This special strain comes from the ancient temple of Angkor Wat, located in South East Asia (modern day Cambodia). This particular mushroom was used regularly by the early inhabitants of the area and was considered a central focus of their religious ceremonies for centuries. The early inhabitants of this area were able to reach a very advanced state of civilized culture, exceeding in all areas of the arts, leaving behind a tremendous wealth of spiritual as well as scientific knowledge that still remains to this day as a testament to their grand achievements.
This is one of the far eastern strains that researcher John Allen has brought back to the US from his forays to the sacred lands of South East Asia.

Psilocybe cubensis Ecuador

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

The Ecuadorian strain of P. cubensis is perhaps one of the most popular strains for study due to very classic P. cubensis features. Long, thick, and meaty stalks with large dark caramel colored caps are characteristic of this strain.
P. Cubensis var. Ecuadorian produces large to medium sized fruits often reaching an average height of five inches. The developing primordia heads appear very dark red in color, lightening to a dark caramel color upon full maturity. Stalks are robust in nature, although not quite as thick as the Golden Teacher. Caps average 2-3 inches in diameter. Second and third flush fruits often reach heights of eight inches or more when cased and grown on grain based substrates
Average colonization times for this strain is 10-13 days for 1/2-pint cake style jars. Mycelium growth is usually noticeable around the sixth to seventh day after syringe inoculation. According to our European research associated, this strain traditionally takes longer than most to show the first signs of spore germination, however, once growth appears it will quickly colonize the remaining substrate. This strain performs very well both cased and uncased and is highly recommended for study by the novice mycologist due to very classic P. cubensis features.
This particular strain comes from the beautiful Andes of Peru and is a very robust strain that produces high yields of crops, which are known to be one of the more potent strains of P.cubensis available.
It performs very well indoors proving a high tolerance for less than ideal grow space conditions, therefore making it an ideal choice for beginners.

Psilocybe cubensis Golden Teacher

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

One of the most robust strains of P. cubensis available. Very thick, meaty stems, dark red caps, and an often-extreme bluing reaction when the fruits are bruised are all notable characteristics of this strain.
The Golden Teacher is perhaps the most robust strain of cubensis we have observed. Average mature fruit bodies reach heights of over five inches with caps often spanning two inches in diameter. The caps first appear a very dark red color, often covered in very distinct spots (remnants of the universal veil). The stalk is lightly caramel colored and very thick. It is reportedly one of the darkest bruising cubensis available, often turning dark blue or even black when cropped, cut, or bruised.
Fruits do not form as abundantly as some other strains, however the size compensates in dried weight for the lack in numbers. Second and third flush fruits can become enormous, often peaking at heights of nine inches. Average colonization times are in the 12-14 day range for 1/2 pint PF style jars. The strain performs very well both cased and uncased.
This is a wonderful and unique strain that produces very large fruit bodies that are considered to be very potent for a P.cubensis strain. It's ability to produce larger than normal fruit bodies is balanced by its limited number that it yields.
However, the overall yield ends up equal since one of these GTs can grow larger than 3 or 4 other P.cubensis strains fruit bodies. GT's tend to be a little picky when finding a good mate after inoculation which could result in some uncolonized jars of substrate, but once it finds a good match then it will be a very good one that you can count on producing impressive text-book quality
fruit bodies that are larger than usual in size.
It's worth mentioning that these GTs are some of the best mushrooms to be experienced by those interested in their innate qualities.

Psilocybe cubensis Gulf Coast

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency Moderate to Potent
Substrate Concentrated Flour*, Grains, WSC*, PWS*, Dung.
Colonization Fast
Fruit body Size Medium to Large

This is a potent Florida strain from the eastern coastal region that grows very rapidly in the humid area of the state. The Gulf Coast strain is a rather easy one to work with and produces good yields with fruit bodies ranging from average to large in size.
This same species of mushroom, growing in this area of the state, was used for years by the local shamans of the native Seminole tribes to make a special tea known as "black tea". This black tea was said to give the Seminole Shamans the power to heal and to receive guidance from the ancestors. It's one of the very few P.cubensis strains to inhabit the North American continent.

Psilocybe cubensis Huautla

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

The Huautla strain of Psilocybe cubensis is a recent collection from the wilds of southern Mexico in the region of Oaxaca near the village of Huautla de Jimenez. Huautla de Jimenez has gained notoriety as the hometown of mushroom Shaman Maria Sabina.
In 1954 Gordon Wasson and Allan Richardson became the first Caucasians to participate in a mushroom ceremony, conducted under the guidance of Maria Sabina near the village of Huautla de Jimenez. Wasson and Richardson each consumed specimens of Psilocybe caerulescens var. mazatecorum.
The Huautla variety of P. cubensis was recently collected from this historically rich region by our good friend Club99..
The Huautla strain exhibits some very interesting characteristics. Most noted are long, skinny stalks and obtusely conic to hemispheric caps. Stem length can range from 6-10 inches, while cap diameter tends to stay under two inches for laboratory-produced specimens. Almost all specimens retain the membranous annulus upon full maturity.
This strain fruits abundantly and readily from a number of substrate materials.

Psilocybe cubensis India Orissa

This strain was original found in India on elephant dung and produces some extremely large fruits. We've heard mix things on this on as far as potency goes. Colonizing speed is average.
All the way from India, an EXTREMELY large growing cubensis that spawned from elephant dung has blessed us all. This strain of cubensis has to be one of the largest growing we have ever seen. Originally brought to us my entheomycologist John Allen, once again a big thanks John, this one really rocks the boat, or rather growing chamber. Ever seen dinner plate sized mushrooms cultivated? Wild yes, but cultivated? Even on simple rice cakes this one grows some rather large mushrooms.
We have seen some mixed results from this one as well. We've seen some very deformed mushrooms on casings with poor results in the beginning. And we've seen quite a few very beautiful casings runs with some very large and robust mushrooms. I guess nothing can be perfect. The more we have worked with it the better it gets.
Colonizing speed is average; potency is extreme for a cub from the feedback we got from some free syringes we sent out a few months ago.

Psilocybe cubensis Koh Samui (T3)

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency Potent
Substrate Concentrated Flour*, Grains, WSC*, PWS*, Dung
Colonization Fast
Fruit body Size Short and Broad

Originally introduced as a new strain only later to find that there was an error and that it from a 3rd generation clone of a Koh Samui. It however was domesticated nicely and has become THE Koh Samui every collector should have in his/her collection.
This is a domesticated (3rd generation) version of the original Koh Samui strain brought back by researcher John Allen. The original strain was more "wild" and produced varied results, ranging from small to large fruit bodies that took on independent characteristics ranging from shorter bulbulous appearing fruit bodies to tall and slim fruit bodies with umbonate caps.
The potency of these Thai strains tends to be some of the most potent of the P.cubensis variety. A Full Moon Mushroom Festival is held once a month on this small island where thousands of people, still to this day, gather to partake of this magical mushroom. From an area where 95% of the inhabitants are Buddhists, this mushroom strain is considered by local natives to be a very sacred gift from the gods.

Psilocybe cubensis Lipa Yai

This strain comes from Lipa Yai, Thailand. Like the other Thai strains, it is considered to be one of the more potent strains of the P.cubensis variety and is known to produce taller-sized fruit bodies than the Koh Samui strain, also from Thailand. Colonization time is fast and can result in very prolific flushes producing lots of pins at once.. Like the Koh Samui Thai strains, it tends to produce the larger fruit bodies during the later flushes rather than the initial ones.
Fruit body sizes can vary from small to large using grains or flour as a substrate, with the larger yields coming from bulk substrates such as pasteurized wheat straw or compost.

Psilocybe cubensis Malabar

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

Original collection specimens for this strain were secured from the Malabar Coast in India. Heat tolerance and unique fruit characteristics set this strain apart.
Initial observations of this strain in the wild note it will fruit well in higher than normal temps. We have received reports of this strain fruiting well in temperatures up to 90 degrees F.
Primary macroscopic differences include very thick, fleshy stems with caps that typically remain small in regard to stem length. Spotting usually remains present upon maturity. The cap extends to full plane upon maturity.
The most notable characteristic of this species is the attached partial veil. The veil appears cortinate in nature, forming a small web-like pattern that stays tenaciously attached between cap and stem until the mushroom reaches full maturity. Even fully mature specimens may still have this veil attached.

Psilocybe cubensis Mazatapec

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

The Mazatapec strain of Psilocybe cubensis is another harvested and domesticated from the wilds of Mexico.
Mazatapec fruits often display some unique characteristics. Primordia develop into skinny, straight stalks topped by darkly tinted caramel colored caps. The caps almost never display pronounced spotting and will mature into a belted, lighter color. Fruits tend to be smaller than most, averaging 3-5 inches in height, appearing abundantly.
One of the most amazing characteristics of this strain is the highly rhizomorphic nature of the mycelium.
Another classic strain from the southern reaches of Mexico, this strain is highly desired for its "spiritual" connections. Impressively rhizomorphic mycelium marks this strain as very hearty making it an excellent choice for experimenters of any experience level.

Psilocybe cubensis Mexican #3

Sold originally by many vendors as a fruitable Psilocybe mexicana, the Mexican #3 strain exhibits some very interesting characteristics. Among these are veils that stay attached upon maturity and prolific fruiting.
This strain of Psilocybe cubensis originated from the experiments of Mr. G at Foggy Mountain Mushrooms. This strain was originally and incorrectly sold by many vendors as a fruitable Psilocybe mexicana and was quickly reclassified as cubensis.
The fruits produced by this strain show some very interesting characteristics. This strain has been known to throw off many slight variations, however most have several traits in common. These are mainly marked by a dark caramel-colored cap and a veil that stays fully attached between cap and stem until full maturity. Stalks are often light caramel in color and are unusually long in proportion to the entire fruiting body.
Colonization times are faster than average, and entire spawn runs in 1/2 pint jars take only 13-15 days. The pictures at right show first flush Mexican #3 grown on millet and cased with a mixture of peat moss and crushed oyster shell. Note the torn veils, which often stay attached to the stem until the mushroom reaches full maturity.
Her most common name is the 'Mexican mushroom'. This big mushroom has a yellow head and a stalk of 8 to 19 centimeters.
The Psilocybe Cubensis is very easy to grow, and is one of the most famous magic mushrooms used all over the world.


Psilocybe cubensis Penis Envy

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

A low yielding novelty strain of Psilocybe cubensis that looks disturbingly like a circumcised penis. Anecdotal reports are of higher than average psilocybin activity, a trend noted in other low yielding mutated strains.

Psilocybe cubensis PES Amazonian

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

In our experience the PES Amazonian is a prolific fruiter, with average fruit body heights reaching over six inches. The caps average one to two inches in diameter and often display a pronounced "nipple" in the center, which usually remains until full maturity. The PES Amazonian strain of Psilocybe cubensis is from Pacifica Exotic Spora stock. This is an excellent strain of cubensis, exhibiting many desirable characteristics.
During early mushroom formation the cap is dark red in color, however as the fruit matures the dark red only remains in the center of the cap and is lightened to a light tan, almost white color near the gills.
The mycelium is very healthy and rhizomorphic in nature. Colonization speed is slightly faster than average; often colonizing 1/2 pint jars in just under 13 days. The overall health of this strain makes it a good choice for beginners.
The PF Classic is also called "Matias Romero" at other spore sellers sites or Amazonian. It lately has picked up the name "PF CLASSIC"
This strain of the Psilocybe Cubensis is named after the Mexican village Matias Romero where it was collected for the first time by the famous American doctor and mycologist Stephen Pollock.
This strain is a very special one. In comparison with other strains of the Cubensis it's truly amazing how it starts to fruit.

Psilocybe cubensis PES Hawaiian

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

A strain originally from the Hawaii based spore retailer, Pacifica Exotic Spora. Psilocybe cubensis itself is not native to the Hawaiian Islands.
Average fruit body heights reached five to seven inches. The stalk is fleshy although not very robust. The cap color is caramel to dark red to the center. Average cap diameters are between one and three inches. The caps also display some rather pronounced spotting, which often remains present until full maturity. Colonization times are fast, often consuming 1/2 pints of spawn in just less than 13 days.
This strain is highly recommended for first time microscopy as this P. cubensis exhibits many of the "classic" characteristics commonly associated with the species.
It usually produces larger sized fruit bodies that somewhat resemble the Golden Teacher. It's not certain if there is a relation between the GTs and this one, but they do share some similar characteristics.

Psilocybe cubensis Pink Buffalo

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency Potent
Substrate Concentrated Flour*, Grains, WSC*, PWS*, Dung.
Colonization Fast
Fruit body Size Medium to Small

What makes this one so unusual is that it was found in a field that was inhabited by one of the sacred pink buffalo of the island. Like the other Thai strains, this one is considered one of the more potent strains of the P.cubensis variety. Very fast colonizers and tend to produce larger fruit bodies in later flushes rather than the initial ones.
This particular strain also comes from the beautiful island of Koh Samui, Thailand and was brought to us by John Allen. What makes this one so unusual is that it was found in a field that was inhabited by one of the sacred pink buffalo of the island.
Like the other Thai strains, this one is considered one of the more potent strains of the P.cubensis variety. It's worth mentioning that these Thai strains are very fast colonizers and tend to produce larger fruit bodies in later flushes rather than the initial ones. Another great strain from ban Hua Thanon - Koh Samui, Thailand.

Psilocybe cubensis Plantasia Mystery

The is another strain that were rumored to be an azurescens, especially when grown outdoors. It's a medium colonizer and caps tend to have nipples.

Psilocybe cubensis Puerto Rican

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

This strain has been noted for exceptionally high potency, with many reports placing it along side the more significantly potent psilocybes. This specimen performs well on millet and should be a great all around P. cubensis variety for any collection.
This new strain of P. cubensis was originally collected in the wilds of Puerto Rico near the town of Canovanas located on the Northeast side of the island. This strain has been noted for exceptionally high potency, many reports place this strain of P. cubensis along side the more significantly potent psilocybes.
The Puerto Rican colonizes millet in average times, with most quart jars runs taking about 18 days to complete. Mycelium is extremely rhizomorphic, on the caliber of that exhibited by the Mazatapec strain of P. cubensis. Fruits produce abundantly with most exhibiting straight, even stalks and caps holding an obtusely conic shape. Fruits bruise deep blue upon any handling.
We are still amazed at the reports received concerning this strain's psilocybin activity. Reportedly the Puerto Rican strain would "rate as highly potent," according to the collector. We will be doing extensive tests in the future to help determine why this strain appears to be so much more highly potent than others.
It tends to produce fruit bodies in the form of individual outcroppings spread out evenly across the cropping surface area that are prolific in nature and well networked for nutritional supply from the substrate.
As a result of these concentrated areas of rich growth, the fruit bodies can grow rather large in size but will usually produce good even crops that are well nourished. This evenly distributed concentration, or focus of nutrition to the outcroppings, could possibly be the reason for it's stronger than usual potency that it tends to deliver.

Psilocybe cubensis South America

This strain comes from South America. Quick colonizer the produces mediums sized fruits. One not to miss in any true collector's library.
The South American strain was originally sold by Spore Chicks
from a strain collected in Venezuela.
It tends to colonize very quickly with a dense pinset.

Psilocybe cubensis Tasmanian

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

With this strain, once the fruiting cycle is reached, it seems to constantly produce fruits without any real break to speak of. However, this wonderful strain shows signs of being a very aggressive yielder, producing ideal fruits in succession of each other that are well proportioned in form.
The Tasmanian strain of P. cubensis has enjoyed a revival of late, possibly due to the recirculation of healthy fruiting cultures. This strain is a terrific, aggressive fruiter and would work well as a stock P. cubensis strain for any cultivator.
Fruits are large, even upon first flush. Heights can reach up to eight inches with stalks up to 3/4 inch in diameter. Upon full maturation the caps will usually exhibit a light yellow color and will often scale despite the presence of high humidity.
This strain demonstrates amazing fruiting ability and quickly recovers between flushes. Upon retrieval of first flush crop it was noted that much of the substrate material had been consumed and shrunken considerably in mass.
Parameters for this strain follow normal cubensis guidelines
The Tasmanian cubensis is a fantastic mushroom found by BIO on the island of Tasmania just below Australia. Tasmania is a state of Australia, sub-tropical, having 4 seasons. Tasmania is known for it's obscure nature and is home to a majority of "one of a kind" plants and creatures found nowhere else on the planet. Whatever it is that sets it apart from the rest of the world is most likely what sets this strain apart from the rest of the P.cubensis strains.
It tends to get very cold their at times, and this mushroom does very well in cold temperatures outdoors. It?s extremely fast growing on compost, high yielding, and produces some very large capped beauties. People will be very pleased with the sensation within it provides

Psilocybe cubensis Treasure Coast

Cultivation Difficulty: Easy
Potency: Moderate to Potent
Substrate: Dung, Straw, Various grains
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 84-86F/74-78F

Original specimens of this strain were collected some time ago from the Southern Florida Gulf Coast. A very prolific fruiter, the Treasure Coast strain is noted for it ability to occasionally spin off albino, or near albino sub strains.
Wild samples have been domesticated for some time. The most pronounced feature of this strain is the occasional albino spin-off reportedly produced in some batches.
Research associates have found the Treasure Coast to be a very fast colonizer; often completely colonizing 1/2 pint jars in under 12 days. This strain is a very prolific fruiter, as evident by the many mature fruits appearing from the casing trays. . This strain often displays caps that are very lightly caramel colored, sometimes appearing white, if not true albino.
Average fruit body heights reach between two and five inches with caps averaging diameters of 1/2 to one inches. Fruit size can very wildly with some batches producing 10-inch mushrooms.
This is a very interesting strain due to its shape shifting abilities and would provide an interesting experiment for agar culturing. Well here it is a cubensis that throws off an albino substrain. The white cubensis is a substrain of the Treasure Coast Cubensis from Florida. The Treasure Coast Cubensis was brought to us by the grower for the former FMF, that went by Mr. G. He has done some interesting breeding with the TC strain, and it will throw off 3 different substrains. One of them being this very unique white cubensis. We have seen a variety of substrains come from this strain, and most recently several casings of all white albino mushrooms. The white cubensis starts off a very light brown, and then changes to the frosted white at about 1 1/2" to 2" tall as it matures. All the substrains of the TC will have a frost look on the caps, and they are all very potent mushrooms, the white being more potent then the rest for some reason.
It?s not a very fast growing mushroom but it is high yielding most of the time and they are so damn pretty they are worth a little extra wait. They also do very well on simple rice cakes. It also tends to be fast on rye grain and fast on straw. This one is a very beautiful mushroom worth checking out.
This strain comes from the Treasure Coasts of Florida and is known to produce "albinos" at random that are said to be more potent than average.
Colonization speed is a little slow compared to some of the other faster colonizing strains (such as the SE Asian strains), however, it's known to produce very prolific pin sets and flushes, proving to be a high yielding strain with an above average potency.
Florida has produced some of the finest P.cubensis strains on the North American continent and The Treasure Coast variety of P.cubensis are a prime example of this.

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Some 'strains' require casings and will not fruit from cakes.

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