Gymnopilus purpuratus
🏷️ Description
Widely found from New Zealand to Germany, Gymnopilus purpuratus is a bitter, hallucinogenic mushroom with a rusty orange spore print.
📜 Taxonomy: Originally described by mycologist John Burton Cleland in Australia as Flammula purpurata ("clad in purple"). In 1951, mycologist Rolf Singer reclassified it as Gymnopilus purpuratus and documented its presence in Chile and Kew Gardens, UK.
⚠️ Caution: Due to its psychoactive compounds, this species should be handled and consumed only with thorough knowledge and in legal contexts.
🔎 Identification
🧢 Cap: 0.59 to 2.36 inches (1.5 to 6 cm) wide, broadly convex to umbrella-shaped. Its surface is purple to reddish-brown, adorned with small dry scales that often crack as the mushroom ages. The cap is dry, never sticky or slimy.
🌿 Gills: Crowded and close, starting pale lemon-yellow and maturing to rusty orange. The gills are adnexed (narrowly attached) and sometimes serrated, initially hidden by a cottony partial veil that soon disappears.
📏 Stem: Sturdy and silky, covered with fibrils ranging in color from purple and wine-red to reddish-brown. The flesh is initially purple but fades to yellowish cream, often showing a striking blue bruising reaction. The stem is solid, not hollow, and sometimes slightly swollen at the base. Orange spores dust the stem as the mushroom matures, and veil remnants form a raised area near the gills.
💜 Bruising and Spore Print: This mushroom bruises easily, turning blue, purple, or even green when handled or damaged. The spore print is thick and vibrant, ranging from bright orange to rusty orange.
🌎 Habitat and Distribution
Range: Widely distributed in Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Germany, and the UK. It thrives in mild, humid conditions, often found growing on rotting logs, tree stumps, and woodchip mulch, occasionally even appearing on heaps of pig dung.
Growth Pattern: Appears in clusters or small groups. In New Zealand, it is particularly common in the Auckland and Wellington regions.
🌟 Psychoactive Properties
Compounds: Contains 0.34% psilocybin, 0.29% psilocin, and 0.05% baeocystin, as reported by Dr. Jochen Gartz in 1992. The mushroom has a very bitter taste and is known for its hallucinogenic properties.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Connor Margetts (Public Domain)
Photo 2 - Author: Archie (CC BY 4.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Enrica Longo (CC BY 4.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Cristóbal Ponce Figueroa (CC BY 4.0)
