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TreeCulture
Mushroomenthusiast
Registered: 10/15/02
Posts: 6
Loc: Pennsylvania
Last seen: 18 years, 4 months
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Laughing Gym
#964051 - 10/15/02 07:35 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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Hi...I found a mushroom today which i believe is a Gymnopilus spectabilis...I know a fellow student who is minoring in plant pathology and i myself am a horticulture student...between the two uf us i feel confident in our ability to use guides and determine species especially if there are not any deadly look alikes. The mushroom i found fits all the descriptions in the audobon field guide and in Stamets's ...Mushrooms of the world...i know of no lookalikes except possibly the jack o lantern which i am sure it is not...i just mainly wanted to make sure there are no other look alikes in my area...i am in south central PA...the mushroom was growing out of a fallen tree... the yellow orange cap is about 3-4 inches across, the cap has fiberous scales on it, the spore print is a rusty brown color, the stalk is fiberous (kind of looks like wood), the gills are not attached to the stem, the stem is about 3-4 inches tall, the mushroom has not bruised, it smells sweet like anise and i tasted a small portion it bitter but not overwhekmingly so. I have no picture and really just want to know if it would be safe to assume this is a laughing gym.Thanks
-------------------- "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
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Anonymous
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ToxicMan
Bite me, it's fun!


Registered: 06/28/02
Posts: 6,721
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
Last seen: 1 day, 1 hour
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It sounds like they could be. I'll quote Alexander Smith's key entries for Gymnopilus so you can verify that it would key out there.
1a. Veil fibrillose to submembranous and in breaking leaving a ring or zone [more or less] persistent on the stipe ..... 2 1b. Veil absent to rudimentary ...... 4
2a. Taste of raw context bitter (usually strongly so) ...... 3 2b. Taste of raw context mild to [more or less] disagreeable but not intensely bitter; on wood of hardwoods ............. G. validipes
3a. On wood of hardwoods; annulus submembranous to fibrillose; spores 8-10 x 4.5-6 microns ............... G. spectabilis
I bring it up this way because you did not mention a ring on the stem. Note that Smith indicates that the ring is very important for identification to this species. This photo shows that the ring should be very prominent. Please verify that there is a ring.
Keep us posted.
Happy mushrooming!
-------------------- Happy mushrooming!
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TreeCulture
Mushroomenthusiast
Registered: 10/15/02
Posts: 6
Loc: Pennsylvania
Last seen: 18 years, 4 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: ToxicMan]
#965455 - 10/16/02 07:53 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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thanks...yes the stem has a ring around it, closer to the cap than the base. the mushroom was kind of mature when i found it though and i did not see the veil when it was intact...i did not however, find this mushroom to taste extremely bitter (but i guess that could vary from person to person). G. valdipes would be cool to find though... just want to make sure there are not any poisonous mushrooms resembling theese of wihich i am not aware. I am leaning toward the G. spectabilis at this point...
-------------------- "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
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ToxicMan
Bite me, it's fun!


Registered: 06/28/02
Posts: 6,721
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
Last seen: 1 day, 1 hour
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The poisonous mushroom you would most want to make sure they are not is Galerina marginata, which may be listed in your book as Galerina autumnalis (they are actually the same species). These mushrooms grow on wood, have a rusty brown spore print, a ring on the stem, and produce the same deadly amatoxins as the deadly Amanitas.
The other genus you would probably want to not eat is Pholiota. Many of them cause gastrointestinal problems when eaten. They grow on wood, have a ring on the stem, and spore print colors range from dull brown to cinnamon brown or sometimes rusty brown. The spore print color will be less bright than Gymnopilus.
One last thought - Alexander Smith states that not all collections of Gymnopilus spectabilis contain psilocybin. So it is possible to have the right species, correctly identified, and have them still not be active.
Happy mushrooming!
-------------------- Happy mushrooming!
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Macey Howard
Formally MOE HOWARD


Registered: 07/02/99
Posts: 14,165
Loc: Georgia
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Post deleted by Moe Howard [Re: TreeCulture]
#965496 - 10/16/02 08:47 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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-------------------- Hugs and Kisses!
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MAIA
World-BridgerKartikeya (DftS)


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 7,396
Loc: Erra - 20 Tauri - M45 Sta...
Last seen: 18 days, 3 hours
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They a look at the ones i found last year, any resemblance ? MAIA
-------------------- Spiritual being, living a human experience ... The Shroomery Mandala
 Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy. Voltaire
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TreeCulture
Mushroomenthusiast
Registered: 10/15/02
Posts: 6
Loc: Pennsylvania
Last seen: 18 years, 4 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: MAIA]
#965767 - 10/16/02 11:59 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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Just got back from a walk in the same woods i found the other mushrooms in. 2 more clusters ( that makes six mushrooms all together including the original one). The newly discovered clusters look alot like the pics that were posted by MAIA. I will however carefully inspect each one and do a spore print from each clump just to make sure they are gyms. I will also make sure to smell them, i believe that gym spec has a distinct odor...
-------------------- "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
Edited by TreeCulture (10/16/02 12:10 PM)
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Anonymous
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: MAIA]
#965921 - 10/16/02 01:05 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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viscid
dikaryon


Registered: 09/23/02
Posts: 731
Loc: the mycological center of...
Last seen: 5 years, 11 months
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yep, moe, several gymnopilus species are known to contain psilocybin and or psilocyn in quantities sufficient for "activity" someone just asked me to identify some in theur front yard, and i have to go in a minute to do that very thing, and i'm excited about it.....
it would be cool to see pics of your find. thanks for the pics, maia! peace.
-------------------- You do not know me. You can't see me.
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Remy
Bitches Brew


Registered: 06/04/02
Posts: 1,343
Loc: Atlanta, GA
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: viscid]
#966998 - 10/16/02 07:19 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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I think Moe was refering to the controversy over wether Big Laughing Gyms were active. I believe Stamets mentions it in his book.
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viscid
dikaryon


Registered: 09/23/02
Posts: 731
Loc: the mycological center of...
Last seen: 5 years, 11 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: Remy]
#967026 - 10/16/02 07:27 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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i didn't think it was controversy. i thought it was a simple matter of some collections being active and some not- and/or problems with identification....mostly the former. doesnt seem too conroversial. peace.
-------------------- You do not know me. You can't see me.
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ruderallis
Duct Tape Man:)
Registered: 10/02/02
Posts: 38
Last seen: 21 years, 2 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: viscid]
#967109 - 10/16/02 07:54 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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Since the conversation has changed a little, I would like to ask this. What is the story on Fly agerics? Is it that in eastern europe they are more active and in other parts of the world they just put you to sleep? Heard of someone going into a coma or something. I tried them once but was to scared to eat a lot of them. That was in the Sante Fe nation forest by the ski area on the way to one of the lakes. They were not active for me or my friends but we did not want to eat a lot. We were all very experienced with commercial actives, but we did not know where to start. I find them all the time; but at this point for me they are more of a novalty and just seeing them grow makes me happy. I doubt I will ever eat them but I am curious about other peoples reports. hmmmm peace
Where the fuck is the cold rain and .....?????????????????????????????????
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ethnos
Jedis InTraining
Registered: 10/16/02
Posts: 5
Last seen: 21 years, 3 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: MAIA]
#967436 - 10/16/02 09:35 PM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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i found gyms like those too! which really did make me laugh for no reason just by eating half a shroom about 6 inches tall and the stem was close to 2 inches thick
nice pics!!!, i looked everywhere for gyms resembling the ones i found 5 years ago here in the shroomery for months but none of the pics here came close to what you posted!
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ethnos
Jedis InTraining
Registered: 10/16/02
Posts: 5
Last seen: 21 years, 3 months
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yes, anissette like =) and if i rememeber the stem is hollow which the inner stem bruises orange.
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MAIA
World-BridgerKartikeya (DftS)


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 7,396
Loc: Erra - 20 Tauri - M45 Sta...
Last seen: 18 days, 3 hours
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: ]
#968187 - 10/17/02 04:23 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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Thanks, i'll take more pics this year, they already started to grow in the same place. Regarding its activity, this were active, i made a tea because they are bitter as hell, the result was 4 guys laughing all night, a nice trip, everything around was funny .
MAIA
-------------------- Spiritual being, living a human experience ... The Shroomery Mandala
 Use, do not abuse; neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy. Voltaire
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TreeCulture
Mushroomenthusiast
Registered: 10/15/02
Posts: 6
Loc: Pennsylvania
Last seen: 18 years, 4 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: MAIA]
#968394 - 10/17/02 08:12 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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A reliable source told me some collections of Gymnopilus may contain toxins which can be neutralized by taking them with milk thistle extract. With the obvious interest in the Gyms i just wanted to put that information out there...and thats awesome you found an active patch i hope the ones i found are...i will try them as soon as i get some milk thistle
-------------------- "Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
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Remy
Bitches Brew


Registered: 06/04/02
Posts: 1,343
Loc: Atlanta, GA
Last seen: 12 years, 2 months
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Re: Laughing Gym [Re: viscid]
#968438 - 10/17/02 08:37 AM (21 years, 3 months ago) |
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I didn't mean controversy in a big way, more like the argument/confusion as to the activity of these and various other Gyms.
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