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 Mr. Mushrooms
Spore Print Collector
Registered: 05/25/08
Posts: 13,018
Loc: Registered: 6/04/02
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 Mycena subcaerulea 
#9049607 - 10/08/08 05:56 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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After a request, I am creating a thread on Mycena subcaerulea, a suspected active Mycena. I found this twice this year in two different locations. The whitish powder (pruinose to pubescent) on the stem (stipe) is an important identification characteristic. Few mycenas have it. It isn't easy to see. I would suggest decent lighting and a hand lens if you have one. The younger specimens are usually blue as these appear. At maturity this mushroom is brown or tan. Attempting to take a spore print prematurely often results in failure.
  
I thought I had a macroshot of the stem but after going over my photos I remembered I only looked at it through the hand lens without taking a photograph. Silly me. Then again, at that point I didn't know it was suspected to be active.
Links are:Mycena subcaerulea by Michael Kuo at MushroomExpert.com (not that he thinks a lot of himself) I found his comment, "Edibility is not known for Mycena subcaerulea, but it is so small and inconsequential that I can't imagine anyone cares," amusing and his description poor: "Eventually Mycena subcaerulea is brownish overall, and all traces of blue disappear--at which point, if you have found it, you might as well give up on identifying it unless you want to spend hours with microscopes and monographs in a monotonous Mycena milieu." Evidently he doesn't understand the importance of the pruinose to pubescent stem. Which is obvious when you look at his first photo, his focus is on the cap and the depth of field prevents you from seeing the stem accurately.
Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for September 2005 features Mycena leiana with a short section on other Mycenas. Lower down the page it reads: "A rather strange and relatively rare species shown in F is the bluing Mycena, M. subcaerulea. Note the blue color of the base of the stem and of the very young caps. This species is reported to actually contain the hallucinogen psilocybin, although it's not at all related to Psilocybe." Bear in mind the reports are unsubstantiated at this time. Further investigation is warranted.
For those that want more turn to Studies in the Genus Mycena. III, by Alexander H. Smith © 1936 Mycological Society of America.
Recently a member of the Shroomery, Enpo, found about 300 of these in a pine woods. His thread prompted this one.
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 EchoEclipse71
sic
Registered: 01/07/08
Posts: 393
Last seen: 22 days, 7 hours
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That's a cool little mushroom.
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I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map...
-The map
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Mr. Mushrooms
Spore Print Collector
Registered: 05/25/08
Posts: 13,018
Loc: Registered: 6/04/02
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Thanks Echo.
Enpo's photos were much better.
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EchoEclipse71
sic
Registered: 01/07/08
Posts: 393
Last seen: 22 days, 7 hours
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I wonder what animal nibbled it. And what it's up to right now, hah. Isn't there some photographic development solution you can use to indicate psilocybin? I've read about something like that... I'd be interested to see a (safe) bioassay of that little critter.
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I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map, I'm the map...
-The map
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Mr. Mushrooms
Spore Print Collector
Registered: 05/25/08
Posts: 13,018
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Studies will be conducted requiring no ingestion.
I don't know about the photo technique.
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jet li
The One
Registered: 07/09/07
Posts: 1,507
Loc: pee enn dub all yew
Last seen: 4 months, 27 days
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That last pic is cool. Cool bruising.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist
Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 24,722
Last seen: 2 days, 10 hours
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Quote:
sn't there some photographic development solution you can use to indicate psilocybin? I've read about something like that...
Metol doesn't work (well, if at all, and is toxic) but some people are using more reliable methods.
Quote:
The whitish powder (pruinose to pubescent) on the stem (stipe) is an important identification characteristic. Few mycenas have it.
A pruinose stipe is common in Mycena, about half the species have it.
Have you observed any bluing where it is damaged? Since it starts out blue and fades with age, it might be inactive. Its common for the blue Mycenas to start out blue and turn brown with age, around here we have Mycena amicta which also does that.
Mycena amicta:
.jpg)
Mycena cyanorrhiza:
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jet li
The One
Registered: 07/09/07
Posts: 1,507
Loc: pee enn dub all yew
Last seen: 4 months, 27 days
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I think I'll stick to the Stropharicae Psilocybes. hehhehee.
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weiliiiiiii
Stranger
Registered: 10/10/03
Posts: 9,711
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 Re: Mycena subcaerulea [Re: jet li]
#9050090 - 10/08/08 07:02 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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Paul stamets and john allen have been searching for active mycenas for a few years.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist
Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 24,722
Last seen: 2 days, 10 hours
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Did they find any?
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weiliiiiiii
Stranger
Registered: 10/10/03
Posts: 9,711
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not yet 
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Mr. Mushrooms
Spore Print Collector
Registered: 05/25/08
Posts: 13,018
Loc: Registered: 6/04/02
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Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said:
A pruinose stipe is common in Mycena, about half the species have it.
Not exactly, unless you're claiming to be an expert on the genus. The Mycena in the Pacific Northwest Key has 64 species, 20 have some powder. But, more importantly, in our area a pruinose stem is rather rare, blue Mycenas rarer still. Here it is an important identifying characteristic.
Quote:
Have you observed any bluing where it is damaged? Since it starts out blue and fades with age, it might be inactive. Its common for the blue Mycenas to start out blue and turn brown with age, around here we have Mycena amicta which also does that.
I did not observe it closely enough as each collection was amidst dozens of species. The rest I am more than aware of. Mushrooms of Northeastern North America, which a lot of serious mushroomers use in the East, says it has "often with a greenish basal mycelium when young." I have no plausible explanation for that and I am unaware of any that is published other than a tendency for psilocin oxidation. Which is why I suggested further investigation.
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Mr. Mushrooms
Spore Print Collector
Registered: 05/25/08
Posts: 13,018
Loc: Registered: 6/04/02
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Also, it would be interesting to know where Volk got his information. I assume he didn't make it up.
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Bobzimmer
Crawlin' Kingsnake
Registered: 09/07/08
Posts: 6,401
Loc: NY
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Lookin' for those blue mycens! Found these with the powdery stem but not blue...
Mycena haematopus I believe. Oh well...keep lookin".
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Mr. Mushrooms said:
I will confess something that should be quite obvious, CC. I love mushrooms, i.e. fungi. I really do. I am talking about a strong feeling, i.e. emotion, for them. I think they are beautiful. I even dream of them.
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Lepuke
Stranger
Registered: 09/28/08
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Loc: Maine
Last seen: 10 months, 9 days
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Re: Mycena subcaerulea [Re: Bobzimmer]
#9060483 - 10/10/08 06:13 PM (3 years, 7 months ago) |
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I usually don't pay much attention to mycena's on my trek's through the woods. Due to the fact they are not supposed to be active and they also are not worth harvesting as edibles.
That said seeing your pictures and assuming you found those in a similar environment I will keep an eye out next time.
There are a lot of mycena's up in my neck of the woods at the moment.
So it's at least worth a look for research. If I find anything similar I'll post it.
I will probably be going out to get some more wine caps from where I got the others tomorrow anyways.
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