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pluteus
level-9 deviant
Registered: 08/12/03
Posts: 170
Loc: London area, UK
Last seen: 17 years, 4 months
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English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics
#2132208 - 11/24/03 10:33 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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An express hunt yesterday afternoon revealed that P. cyanescens have started popping up at my usual haunts (but interestingly in new locations within these haunts) - after a very late start. Perhaps there've already been other 'wild' fruitings elsewhere in the UK? Anyone? The flushes so far are very small compared with previous years, but there are thousands of primordia forming - so hopefully the season isn't a write-off yet
some clusters of cyan before cleaning
anyone for shroom salad? the 120 or so I've cleaned so far...
There are a few other species of mushrooms that seem to grow prolifically wherever I also find P. cyanescens, and serve as good 'indicator' species that P. cyanescens might be in the vicinity
The best indicator, in my opinion, is Stropharia aurantiaca, which is as strikingly red as the Stropharia aeruginosa/cyanea/pseudocyanea/caerulea etc. group is strikingly blue-green, and can thus be spotted from miles away. It is more common than Psilocybe cyanescens in the UK, but is reportedly a recently invaded alien species orginating from australasia (so it is not in many field guides).
Stropharia aurantiaca
Another good indicator species is Macrocystidia cucumis. This looks like a rather uninteresting LBM apart from the yellow fringe around the cap margin and the strange texture of the stem. It gets very interesting indeed under the microscope. You might think this species would be hard to identify in the field with certainty, but fortunately it has the unique property of smelling strongly of cucumbers when young, and of cucumber + tuna fish sandwiches when older.
I've never found any of these three species outside a woodchip bed habitat, although apparently Macrocystidia cucumis (the only species in this genus) is a rare or at least uncommon British native.
Will continue this little essay in woodchip bed species when I can upload more pics
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G a n j a
Pictish and proud
Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 7,860
Loc: Zone ate
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2132234 - 11/24/03 10:46 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Great find, now i need to dig out all my gps numbers and start checking some of my plots I'm guessing these were from that place near richmond ?
-------------------- er
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mjshroomer
Sage
Registered: 07/21/99
Posts: 13,774
Loc: gone with my shrooms
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: G a n j a]
#2132250 - 11/24/03 10:55 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Kudos to Plutreus for his intereting discovery of P. cyans. Great find and cool photos.
mj
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bcustom
three short ofone-hundred
Registered: 09/21/03
Posts: 59
Loc: Grrreat Pac NW
Last seen: 18 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: mjshroomer]
#2132322 - 11/24/03 11:27 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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That was an awesome post! Needless to say you will enjoy those P. Cyanescens! I especially appreciate the detail given with the indicator species, etc. Thank you, 5 shrooms!
-------------------- Don't you look at me in that tone of voice!
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angryshroom
Stranger
Registered: 12/18/01
Posts: 7,264
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2132390 - 11/24/03 11:57 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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The Stropharia aurantiaca, that is just a beautiful mushroom!
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Bi0TeK
elephant man
Registered: 11/07/02
Posts: 3,002
Loc: Yorkshire Moors, Great Br...
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2132448 - 11/24/03 12:25 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Great finds Pluteus ! I've yet to find any active wood lovers in the Yorkshire area nor have heard of any reports of them so far unfortunately. I need to find some Newlands, Kew know what i mean ? Keep up the good work !
-------------------- PROMOTE BACTERIA. THEY'RE THE ONLY CULTURE SOME PEOPLE HAVE.
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Anonymous
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2132719 - 11/24/03 02:38 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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- Post History Deleted Upon User's Request -
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spores
haploid
Registered: 02/18/99
Posts: 2,486
Loc: Washington
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: ]
#2132871 - 11/24/03 03:47 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Very nice. Good to hear they're finally popping up over there .
DH
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pluteus
level-9 deviant
Registered: 08/12/03
Posts: 170
Loc: London area, UK
Last seen: 17 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: spores]
#2134687 - 11/25/03 10:50 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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thanks everyone
angryshroom - I agree, the colours are spectacular when young and make this one of my favorite species. I don't know the chemical identity of the red pigment, but surely it has useful properties... The colour gets washed out to varying degrees in older specimens.
Stropharia aurantiaca - older specimens on woody debris
Macrocystidia cucumis looks like this:
Ganja and Bi0TeK -
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G a n j a
Pictish and proud
Registered: 12/03/02
Posts: 7,860
Loc: Zone ate
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2134770 - 11/25/03 11:21 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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I didn't think Stropharia's had such vivid colours But this year I've seen a few bright coloured Stropharia's
-------------------- er
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Silverwolf
sandtrout
Registered: 09/06/03
Posts: 1,108
Loc: Darkover
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: G a n j a]
#2138432 - 11/26/03 04:36 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Are these true European strain Plute? I note no evident blueing on the a cap margin whilst fresh.What about storage,I've read elsewhere on this site that their potency is dramatically reduced when dried?If you check my thread you'll find I'm still banging on about the "alder" question.It's really a softwood v hardwood debate (one of my library books gives pc as a SOFTWOOD-chip growing species).
-------------------- "Odrade read the word silently and then aloud. "Arafel." She knew this word.Reverend Mothers of the tyrants time had impressed it into the Bene Gesserit consciousness,tracing it's roots to the most ancient sources. "Arafel:the cloud darkness at the end of the universe.""
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Bi0TeK
elephant man
Registered: 11/07/02
Posts: 3,002
Loc: Yorkshire Moors, Great Br...
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Silverwolf]
#2138597 - 11/26/03 06:11 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lonewolf said: Are these true European strain Plute?
As far as I'm aware P. cyanescens was an invader brought over from the Pacific northwest coast of the USA in wood chip mulch used for flowerbeds in the London area.
-------------------- PROMOTE BACTERIA. THEY'RE THE ONLY CULTURE SOME PEOPLE HAVE.
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Silverwolf
sandtrout
Registered: 09/06/03
Posts: 1,108
Loc: Darkover
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Bi0TeK]
#2138615 - 11/26/03 06:24 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Plute's not gonna like that I'm afraid and both my Dorling Kindersley AND Larousse field guides give p.cyanascens as an indigenous British species.
-------------------- "Odrade read the word silently and then aloud. "Arafel." She knew this word.Reverend Mothers of the tyrants time had impressed it into the Bene Gesserit consciousness,tracing it's roots to the most ancient sources. "Arafel:the cloud darkness at the end of the universe.""
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MrSash
Stranger
Registered: 11/26/03
Posts: 4
Last seen: 20 years, 3 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Silverwolf]
#2138630 - 11/26/03 06:37 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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easy guys, im also from london... today i was like... woah.. i saw a fuck load of clusters when i was walkin down the road behind my own, and later on i met up with afriend and we decided to pick a few to see if we could ident them blabla... im taking a spore print as we speak and im gona check it when i get up tommorow mornin, im hopin they are libs, and if they are, im going to have a lot
where abouts in london are you from Pluteus?
Mr Sash
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Bi0TeK
elephant man
Registered: 11/07/02
Posts: 3,002
Loc: Yorkshire Moors, Great Br...
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Silverwolf]
#2138653 - 11/26/03 06:54 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Lonewolf said: both my Dorling Kindersley AND Larousse field guides give p.cyanascens as an indigenous British species.
I hear it was first discovered in the London area in 1946 so I guess you could say it's now classed as indigenous. Welcome to the shroomery MrSash
-------------------- PROMOTE BACTERIA. THEY'RE THE ONLY CULTURE SOME PEOPLE HAVE.
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mjshroomer
Sage
Registered: 07/21/99
Posts: 13,774
Loc: gone with my shrooms
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Bi0TeK]
#2138751 - 11/26/03 07:58 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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P. cyanescens was originally discovered and named from Kew Gardens in Surrey waty before Woodchips were being used in gardens ib America. It grows throughout most Erupoean countries and als o in China as well as Russia and many Baltic stases. They are also very prolific throughout most of Germany. Gartz has sited in the literature over three locations in Germany alone.
They are also in Amsterdam , France and Italy and other European countries.
It is also very common in wood hips at the Royal Botanic gardens in Edinburgh.
They did not come from woodchips from America to England.
mj
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mjshroomer
Sage
Registered: 07/21/99
Posts: 13,774
Loc: gone with my shrooms
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: pluteus]
#2138812 - 11/26/03 08:26 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Here are a few photos of the Strophria mentioned above and some info on it from a British Mycological journal. he Fotos are mine.
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat...part=1&vc=1
The top 7 photos of the red mushrooms in the above URL are Stropharia aurantiaca (Cooke) Imai. found in the Journal of Fac. Agr. Hohhaido Imp. Univ. vol. 43:267 (1938).
This info is from the 1988 November Mycologist vol. 12: part four.
It describes its habitat as
Quote:
"occurring on decaying, woody debris.
Reports that its distribution is uncommon. SInce this is an English Journal it was written referring o the distribution of the species in the UK.
Here is the Dist Info from the Mycologist:
Uncommon, but increasing in UK. N. Europe, Australia, Japan, UK (Clwyd, Devon, Hants, Herts, Middx, Surr., Warwicks), Jersey on flower beds mulched with shreaded wood.
Other Remarks: Differs from all other Stropharia species (with chrysocystidia) by the striking red colors. Apparently on the increase in UK, through the use of woodchips for mulching. Sometimes flowerbeds can be totally covered with basuidiomes.
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Silverwolf
sandtrout
Registered: 09/06/03
Posts: 1,108
Loc: Darkover
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: mjshroomer]
#2140946 - 11/27/03 08:02 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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Perhaps one of the only ways we will find out if p.cyanascens has a tradition of "shamanic" useage here in Britain will be to examine the records on the stomach contents of the "druidic" (Bronze to Iron Age priestly cast) "bog" mummies who were fed hallucinogenic brews before they were sacrificeid,which usually meant strangulation I believe.The history of more peaceable useage may be far harder to ascertain.
-------------------- "Odrade read the word silently and then aloud. "Arafel." She knew this word.Reverend Mothers of the tyrants time had impressed it into the Bene Gesserit consciousness,tracing it's roots to the most ancient sources. "Arafel:the cloud darkness at the end of the universe.""
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canid
irregular meat sprocket
Registered: 02/26/02
Posts: 11,912
Loc: looking for zeebras, n. c...
Last seen: 2 months, 8 days
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: Silverwolf]
#2141420 - 11/27/03 11:44 PM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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ok, you get a pump and i'll get my pasport and burgeling kit. we'll do it outselves...
-------------------- Attn PWN hunters: If you should come across a bluing Psilocybe matching P. pellicolusa please smell it. If you detect a scent reminiscent of Anethole (anise) please preserve a specimen or two for study and please PM me.
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pluteus
level-9 deviant
Registered: 08/12/03
Posts: 170
Loc: London area, UK
Last seen: 17 years, 4 months
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Re: English Psilocybe cyanescens - new find / pics [Re: canid]
#2141727 - 11/28/03 07:09 AM (20 years, 3 months ago) |
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hehe, from woodchip beds to to bog mummy stomach excavation...
thanks for the Stropharia info MJ. I'd forgotten about that article. The 'Mycologist' has in the past few years been split into the excellent 'Field Mycology' and the equally excellent but now more academic 'Mycologist'
MrSash welcome, hope your shrooms turn out to be active. I'm from just west of London.
There's been lots of debate here about the origin and range expansion patterns of P. cyanscens populations worldwide... e.g. 'British Indigenous' thread. My main points on this issue have been:
1. Just because a species is first described from a certain location does not mean it is endemic to that location. Kew Gardens is well known for the high diversity of 'alien' (i.e., not native) mushroom species which have fruited and been described from its grounds, ever since the 1800s. This is because it is a major nexus of plant importation and re-distribution.
2. Similarly, just because P. cyanescens shows a certain distribution across many countries today, we cannot directly infer what distribution it had in the past.
3. We should wait for genetic analysis of a large number of representative specimens of P. cyanescens before drawing any firm conclusions about its original home range(s) and patterns of invasion. This species did not simply spring into existence with the advent of woodchip mulch use. Populations residing on natural substrates must have existed before the 20th century wave of invasion. Genetic evidence will reveal the localities of ancestral populations and help characterize subsequent invasion events.
4. Who cares, just munch on the little blighters and be done with it
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