Gymnopilus viridans

🏷️ Description

Gymnopilus viridans is a rare treasure in the fungal world, belonging to the family Hymenogastraceae. Known for its hallucinogenic properties, it contains psilocybin and psilocin, making it a curiosity for both science and mysticism. Last documented in Washington State in 1912, this elusive mushroom remains a fascinating enigma.

🌟 Fun Fact: The name viridans refers to its characteristic green bruising, adding a touch of alchemical allure to its already intriguing profile.

✨ Special Features:

• Bruising Magic: The flesh and cap develop green or blue bruises upon handling, a hallmark of its psilocybin content.

• Elusive Nature: Documented only once, over a century ago, this mushroom is a true rarity.

🔎 Identification

🍄 Cap: Up to 3.15 inches (8 cm) wide, thick, convex with a prominent umbo (central bump). Its ochraceous surface is adorned with sparse reddish-brown scales that grow denser toward the center. When handled, the cap bruises green, adding a touch of mystique!

🍁 Gills: Adnate, broad, and crowded, transitioning from dingy brown to rusty brown with age. The edges are undulating, giving them a wavy appearance.

🌿 Stem: Up to 2.36 inches (6 cm) tall and 0.79 inches (2 cm) thick, solid and firm, widening toward the base. It’s colored like the cap and may show blue-green bruising at the base.

🥩 Flesh: Firm and green-spotting when touched.

🌲 Habitat and Ecology: This mushroom grows gregariously to cespitose (in clusters) on coniferous wood, favoring the damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. It appears from October to November, thriving in cool autumnal conditions.

🔬 Microscopic Details

• Spores: Rusty-brown, ellipsoid (7–8.5 x 4–5 μm), with minutely warty surfaces and a pointed tip, but no germ pore.

• Cystidia: Cheilocystidia: 20–26 x 5–7 μm; Caulocystidia: 35–43 x 4–7 μm; Clamp connections are present.

• Pleurocystidia: Absent.

Photo sources: Caleb Brown (CC BY-SA 3.0)