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Moria841



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Moria's updated Gymnopilus Guide (How to Find Laughing Gyms!) 18
#27973922 - 09/29/22 12:56 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Disclaimer: This guide is for educational and entertainment purposes only.
In addition, since I first created this guide, I have started to feel that our knowledge of this genus of fungi is extremely limited. There may be many factors that remain unknown with Gymnopilus. Please keep this in mind. For all of you who have helped research Gymns with your own experiences and observations, I sincerely thank you. ______________________________________________________________________________________
So, you've heard about the mysterious Big Laughing Jim. You've seen pictures, read trip reports, and maybe even started hunting for it yourself. But, in the swirling vortex of information (and, in many cases, misinformation), clearly articulated threats of the deadly look-alikes Galerina marginata and Cortinarius rubellus species give you pause. And yet more reports claim the Laughing Jim is inactive, or extremely weak; and you find yourself wondering: Is this even worth it?
Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________________
This guide is several years in the making. Since the season for Gymnopilus subspectabilis on the east coast is about to begin, and is already underway in some areas, I've decided to finally compile all the information I have to share. Hopefully this guide will allow you to find and identify these funny orange mushrooms yourself!
In the first section of this guide I'll be going over one key mushroom in the Gymnopilus genus, Gymnopilus subspectabilis. This species, as it was redefined as distinct from G. junonius in a recent paper, is one of the most common large psychoactive Gymnopilus mushrooms on the east coast of the United States and Canada, and I have the most experience with it. Several Gymnopilus species that are closely related and look very similar, such as G. junonius in Europe and Australia and G. ventricosus on the west coast, are unfortunately inactive.
A Story ______________________________________________________________________________________
Several years ago, when I first started to learn about mushrooms, I became obsessed with the Laughing Gymn. Nobody could seem to tell me if they were active or not, or where I should be looking to find them. But I had to find them, and so I searched forest after forest in the summer heat. I even drank tea made from Cortinarius rubellus that I was convinced were Gymns. You can go back and look at my first posts on the Shroomery and see just how dumb I was. Then, one night, in the fall, I stumbled upon a small group of pins in the woods:

Several days later, they looked like this:

The blue bruising made it clear that I'd finally found what I was looking for, completely by chance. Then, over the next few weeks, they started showing up everywhere.

Part 1: Habitat and Season ______________________________________________________________________________________
Many Gymns fruit primarily in autumn. For me, that means they start popping sometime in September, peaking in October right around Halloween, and end by the time the very cold November days begin. In some areas that are further north or south the season may vary slightly. Although many sources will say otherwise, I've found G. subspectabilis fruiting almost exclusively at the bases of trees and stumps, or seemingly terrestrially from buried roots. In my area they are especially common and easy to spot on the sides of roads, near small parks, or in small, shady hardwood stands.

They only associate with hardwoods and don't seem particularly picky, although I always have the best luck with large Red Oaks and Basswoods, and sometimes Maples. Many of their hosts can be ornamental trees planted along suburban roads. They are also very common growing with ornamental pear trees!

The point is, you don't have to push very far into the woods to find these mushrooms. A few similar species, like G. luteus and G. speciosissimus are more commonly found growing from logs in the woods, but I don't have much personal experience with them. Some have also said they grow in mulch and woodchips, although I've never encountered this. Mulch-dwelling Gymns seem to be exclusively in the G. luteofolius or G. lepidotus species groups. (More on these species in Part 4...)
Part 2: Description ______________________________________________________________________________________
I will not go into much detail here, as many published descriptions do a better job than I could. However, I will give a few key details and general characteristics. All Gymns are very heavy sporulators, releasing massive dustings of orange spores all over the place. G. subspectabilis is a yellow to orange mushroom, with the cap being about the same colour as the stem in most specimens. When young, the mushroom forms very tight clusters of pins that almost look like little grains of corn:

As they age, many pins will abort, turning blue-green, then eventually dark orange-brown-blackish. Before the cortinate veil opens, the caps are usually VERY round if undisturbed, which you can see in some of the prior photos. The cap itself also displays another key characteristic: the slightly fibrous, scale-like crackling pattern. This isn't always apparent, but it is definitely a characteristic to note.
The smell is very distinct! Strong mushroom-anise, licorice-like scent
Part 3: Look-alikes ______________________________________________________________________________________
Several Cortinarius species can look similar to Gymns. However, the difference often lies in the growth habit and habitat. Cortinarius rubellus rarely forms clusters and is more often gregarious, and it isn't often found in landscaping settings. They are also often more brown than yellow, and G. subspectabilis will only get that brown if it is very old. Also, Corts tend to display a more pronounced umbo, which Gymns will never do.
Galerina marginata bears almost no resemblance to G. subspectabilis in my opinion. The cap is smooth and hygrophanous rather than scaly and fibrous, and the mushrooms are tiny in comparison. Really, the only similarity is the spore colour.
Omphalotus illudens can be a very convincing look-alike from a distance, preferring almost the exact same habitats as G. subspectabilis. They can, however, be easily distinguished by their decurrent gills and light spore print.
Many Armillaria and Desarmillaria species also share habitats with G. subspectabilis and can look very similar from afar, but with a white spore print, these can also be easily distinguished.
Pholiota is another genus that can look very similar to Gymnopilus and grows in the same habitat, but Pholiota often shows a much wider variety of colours, including whites, browns, and yellows. They also often display a characteristically slimy cap, which Gymns will never have.
Part 4: Gymnopilus luteofolius Group ______________________________________________________________________________________
Very recently I became acquainted with this beautiful reddish, yellowish, purple-ish mushroom that bruises blue and green (nearly the whole rainbow in one mushroom!?). Since it hadn't yet been reported from my area, I thought I'd likely never see it in person unless I traveled.
I turned out to be very wrong.
I encountered my first Gymnopilus luteofolius specimen not in the woods, or in woodchip mulch, or even growing out of anything at all. The first one I saw was in my coworker's hand-- he said he found it growing on a table, and knowing that I'm into mushrooms, he picked it for me. Astonishingly, over the next few weeks, over half of our tables were fruiting G. luteofolius!
Description: Of variable growth style, sometimes cespitose, sometimes gregarious, and occasionally solitary. Size also varies considerably, as well as colouration. Tones of deep purple-red, red-orange, and yellow-orange are all common, even from the same colonies. Gills are a stark pale-yellow, dropping large amounts of orange-yellow spores. The veil is highly cortinate, and the cap is dotted with reddish scales that tend to spread out as the mushroom matures, revealing more yellow-orange cap tissue. The brownish ring is present on some specimens, but tends to fall off easily. These bruise much stronger, dark blue-greens are not uncommon!

Habitat: This is where things get weird. G. luteofolius, or at least the species group as a whole, has a wide range of habitats. I've only found them growing from old wooden greenhouse bench tables that get daily watering. It seems like high amounts of moisture and humidity is a must for these fungi to flourish. Despite their bright colours, they can hide very well:

Strangely, in the Pacific Northwest and places in the South, these mushrooms can dominate mulch patches, something I've never seen around the northeast. However, many, many people report finding this mushroom growing from treated wood. In my case, a greenhouse bench. Others have said inside an old shed. At least two reports (including one from Stamets) have recorded the mushroom growing on boats. Old park benches also provide optimal habitat after heavy rain. In these settings, the mushroom might have a nearly cosmopolitan distribution as the international lumber industry ships colonized logs all over the world. In their natural habitats, very wet and damp areas are a must. For example, a decayed log half-submerged in water.
Seasonality seems unimportant for this species group. Where G. subspectabilis is very particular about its season, I've been picking G. luteofolius from spring through fall on outdoor watered tables. I'm still looking into the mystery surrounding the natural habitat vs. mulch habitats vs. treated wood. Several different species are probably present here!
Look-alikes: Tricholomopsis spp. are really the only ones to note. They can be very convincing from the top, but the stipe and gills don't match, and the scales don't often appear Gymn-like.
Part 5: Gymnopilus lepidotus group ______________________________________________________________________________________
I have the least experience with this type of Gymn. I believe I found one once, in a plant we had shipped in from Florida. They tend to be much smaller and less robust, but still with a general semblance to the luteofolius group. They tend to grow in tropical or subtropical settings.

I still don't know exactly what these Gymns are. They are much more yellow-orange at maturity, very small, and do bruise blue-green. Special thanks to Alan Rockefeller, the DNA barcode sequence he ran on these mushrooms came back as a 100% match for Genbank samples published under several different names, often G. lepidotus, but also G. ochraeus described from Zimbabwe: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/130621703 Clearly there is a lot more to study regarding this genus!
Part 6: Gymnopilus luteus ______________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Carnonos' great report regarding Gymnopilus luteus, I was able to add some information regarding Gymnopilus luteus. Superficially, it might seem basically the same as G. subspectabilis, and I often see collections misidentified in both directions. The habitat, however, is almost completely different-- as well as the growth habit.
While G. subspectabilis is typically cespitose, it's usually more common for G. luteus to grow gregariously or in small clusters on old, decaying hardwood logs. In most cases, these are in mixed woodlands, with hardwoods such as Birch, Poplar, Basswood, various conifers, and Beech. These forests are usually very damp and dark with a developed underbrush. Damp environments seem key for this species (as well as G. luteofolius), and several members have noted different species of Gymns fruiting from logs half-submerged in rivers or streams. It's a very beautiful species indeed! Special thanks again to Carnonos for the information and photography:

Part 7: Loose Ends, Epilogue, and Beyond... ______________________________________________________________________________________
Once you've found your Gymns, congratulations! You may enjoy them just as you would any other mushroom, although fresh Gymn tea seems to be the preferred method. Studies have shown that some Gymnopilus mushrooms contain kavalactones, which may contribute to the psychoactive effects. For psilocybin content, Unknownfungi did some excellent tests on related Gymnopilus species and found that they are about half as potent as Psilocybe cubensis.
I hope that this guide helps people get started looking for Gymns on the east coast and all over the world. I will probably update this as more information becomes available, or if I realize I've forgotten something.
Good luck and happy hunting! 
Edited by Moria841 (12/04/23 03:37 PM)
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MentalPariah
Pariah of my mind

Registered: 03/18/18
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27973948 - 09/29/22 01:16 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Brilliant shit sir!!!!
-------------------- Whoever appeals to the law against his Fellow man is either a fool or a coward Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both For a wounded man shall say to his assailant If I live I will kill you, if I die you are forgiven Such is the rule of honor
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Unknownfungi
Amateur mycologist



Registered: 09/28/21
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: MentalPariah]
#27974048 - 09/29/22 02:21 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Well done!!
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BoogieManSam
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Unknownfungi]
#27975038 - 09/30/22 07:21 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Great info, thanks!
I can confirm the part about not having to go deep in the woods to find Gymn. Subspectabilis. I found them for the first time a few days ago. I was at a trail where I hunt for edibles and found these by the base of a dead tree in the parking lot!
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Ps. Cyanescens
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Southerner
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: BoogieManSam]
#27975061 - 09/30/22 07:52 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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This is awesome, thank you for the write-up!
I don’t know what it would be called but would you say that the lighter colored portion of the stipe at the top between the cap and sometimes present veil remnants/annulus is any identification help compared with look-alikes?
Recently was able to get subspectabilis to pin indoors and can’t wait for the season to hunt for more.
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Icyurmt
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Southerner]
#27975302 - 09/30/22 12:23 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
The smell is very distinct! Strong mushroom-anise, licorice-like scent
Subspectabilis has that smell too? I thought that was unique to luteus? Does mushroom observer have their description wrong? "Gymnopilus luteus is one of several species of Gymnopilus growing on hardwoods. It is difficult to distinguish in the field from G. subspectabilis, another species also occurring on hardwoods in North America, except by its distinct odour of anise when fresh."
Great write up by the way, very helpful and informative!
-------------------- 👁️ 🌊 why you are empty. Hunt for the habitat not the mushroom.
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Anglerfish
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Icyurmt]
#27975421 - 09/30/22 02:22 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icyurmt said:
Quote:
The smell is very distinct! Strong mushroom-anise, licorice-like scent
Subspectabilis has that smell too? I thought that was unique to luteus? Does mushroom observer have their description wrong? "Gymnopilus luteus is one of several species of Gymnopilus growing on hardwoods. It is difficult to distinguish in the field from G. subspectabilis, another species also occurring on hardwoods in North America, except by its distinct odour of anise when fresh."
Great write up by the way, very helpful and informative!
I think I would describe the smell of my assumed G. luteofolius from Norway in a similar way. Still haven't got around to get a sequence though.
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★★★★★
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6The6Despised6One
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Anglerfish]
#27975688 - 09/30/22 06:34 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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awesome guide! ive noticed 2 distinct tastes in all my suspected luteofolius finds. i assumed the second unusually flavored ones were just from the type of mulch, as ive only found ones that taste different at the 1 specific location.
unlike the usual mild friendlier tasting gyms i find; its a stronger, lingering, mulchy kind of taste. similar to how that darker spicy chemical-ish hardware/garden store mulch smells, if you imagine eating that lol
tea, in my recent experiences, is mandatory for gym preparation, when attempting to journey to those "farther" realms. its usually an ordeal to get 20+ grams fresh folius down, let alone 50+ (which amounts to an extremely pleasantly intense, extraordinarily visual, long lasting, invigorating, tall cup of tea from these local specimens.
although i dont see it too often, occasionally i do find some gyms attempting to muster an umbo, that you might find as equally interesting as i have ^_^ (unless of course you were just inferring to suspectabilis in part 3, and not gyms in general)
Edited by 6The6Despised6One (09/30/22 06:51 PM)
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Moria841



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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: 6The6Despised6One]
#27977399 - 10/02/22 12:30 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Hey all wow i didn't expect to cause a commotion with this, really grateful for the support, you've all taught me a lot! 
As for the anise smell, virtually all gymns i've picked have had that same smell, albeit at different intensities, perhaps G. luteus is just the strongest of all!
In terms of the stipe apex zone, yes freshly opened G. subapectabilis does usually exhibit that lighter feature when young, but so do some Cortinarius and others, there's this one i remember seeing that has this big orange floppy veil that opens up that also has a light stipe apex, but i'm blanking on the name, i think it was a phaeo-something. Plus, that zone can turn yellow-orange farely quickly as the mushroom ages
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iggycrop
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27979256 - 10/03/22 09:44 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Great Info!
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Nwshroom
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: iggycrop]
#27979384 - 10/03/22 11:00 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Found these today these good to go?
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OlSk00lFarmer
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Nwshroom]
#27979405 - 10/03/22 11:23 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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What are the chances of finding these in newfoundland Canada? There is not alot of hardwood growing up here, mostly fir. Its almost liberty caps season in a week or two. I'm wondering if I could be out looking for these too
-------------------- LAGM 2.023 Man, who gave that Shroomery? Who taught him how that works? Someone tell him when he mentions shit do research first!
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Moria841



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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: OlSk00lFarmer]
#27979739 - 10/03/22 03:48 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Nwshroom said: Found these today these good to go?
Pic?
Quote:
OlSk00lFarmer said: What are the chances of finding these in newfoundland Canada? There is not alot of hardwood growing up here, mostly fir. Its almost liberty caps season in a week or two. I'm wondering if I could be out looking for these too
I would look into Gymnopilus voitkii, it has a similar habit but prefers fir trees, has been found in NL
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Moria841



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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27979751 - 10/03/22 03:56 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Also updated: Another common host is the bradford pear trees that have been planted all over the suburban east coast
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RenegadeMycologist
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27980742 - 10/04/22 07:17 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Great tutorial bro

Edited by RenegadeMycologist (10/05/22 07:02 AM)
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Southerner
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27982433 - 10/05/22 08:27 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Moria841 said: In terms of the stipe apex zone, yes freshly opened G. subapectabilis does usually exhibit that lighter feature when young, but so do some Cortinarius and others, there's this one i remember seeing that has this big orange floppy veil that opens up that also has a light stipe apex, but i'm blanking on the name, i think it was a phaeo-something. Plus, that zone can turn yellow-orange farely quickly as the mushroom ages
Thanks for the great info and proper name for the zone.
One more question if you don’t mind: do you know if subspectabilis will come back in the same spot for multiple years?
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Moria841



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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Southerner]
#27982671 - 10/05/22 11:21 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Southerner said:
Quote:
Moria841 said: In terms of the stipe apex zone, yes freshly opened G. subapectabilis does usually exhibit that lighter feature when young, but so do some Cortinarius and others, there's this one i remember seeing that has this big orange floppy veil that opens up that also has a light stipe apex, but i'm blanking on the name, i think it was a phaeo-something. Plus, that zone can turn yellow-orange farely quickly as the mushroom ages
Thanks for the great info and proper name for the zone.
One more question if you don’t mind: do you know if subspectabilis will come back in the same spot for multiple years?
Yes! I pick from the same tree bases year after year, although it might not always be around the same time, certain patches might fruit a bit earlier or later from year tp year, so if you don't see them in one of your spots, check back the next week
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Moria841



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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: RenegadeMycologist]
#27982674 - 10/05/22 11:22 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
RenegadeMycologist said: Great tutorial bro

Renegade Mycologist why did you edit out those photos of extremely rare undescribed Gymns?
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RenegadeMycologist
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841] 1
#27982804 - 10/05/22 01:25 PM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Moria841 said: Renegade Mycologist why did you edit out those photos of extremely rare undescribed Gymns? 
I had my little kicks from shitposting so I didn't want to polute this interesting thread any more.
In all seriousness though, only after I realized my Gyms are in fact undescribed, I decided I want to be the author of this species and publish it officially, so to prevent possible competitors getting ahead of me, all the pictures are now classified.
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l e a r n i n g t h i n g s
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Southerner
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Re: Moria's Gymnopilus subspectabilis Guide (How to Find Laughing Gymns!) [Re: Moria841]
#27984318 - 10/06/22 09:39 AM (1 year, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Moria841 said: Yes! I pick from the same tree bases year after year, although it might not always be around the same time, certain patches might fruit a bit earlier or later from year tp year, so if you don't see them in one of your spots, check back the next week
Awesome to know, thank you! Some rain hopefully coming in a few days so I’ll be sure to check that spot and see if anything’s stirring.
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