Psilocybe stuntzii

[waylitjim]

Psilocybe stuntzii (Blue Ringers)

Psilocybe stuntzii was named in honor of mycologist Daniel Stuntz of the University of Washington. Ps. Stunzii is often referred to as "blue ringer", because (according to MJ) the area around the veil remnant is almost always blue, due to the oxidation of psilocin, when the veil breaks. Stunzii can either grow in clusters or solitary and was originally identified growing on the University of Washington campus. Also known as Psilocybe pugetensis.

There was a time when this mushroom appeared in over 40 percent of all new lawns and mulched in areas in the Puget Sound region of the Pacific Northwest. Due to a disappearance of pastures south of Seattle in the Tukwilla-Kent-Auburn areas, this shroom now only appears sporadically in certain new lawns which are well fertilized and manicured. They are also common in wood chip beds, especially alder.

Cap: 1.5-5 cm broad. Obtusely conic, expanding to convex-umbonate or flat with age. Margin is striate and translucent when moist. Hygrophanous. Dark chestnut brown while lighter towards the center. Olive-greenish at times, fading to a pale yellowish brown or pale yellow. Viscid when moist from a gelatinous pellicle.

Gills: Adnate to adnexed, close to sub distant and moderately broad.

Stem: 30 to 60 mm long x 2-4 mm thick. Enlarged at base. remnants of a veil remain and are usually bluish from natural injury when the cap opens. With a whitish pith. Staining blue to blue-green where injured.

Sporeprint: Dark purplish grayish brown.

Habitat: Growing gregarious to subcespitose clusters and clumps in conifer wood chips and bark mulch (alder wood), in soils rich in woody debris, and in new lawns of freshly laid sod.

Distribution: From North of San Francisco to Eugene, Oregon to British Columbia. Common in lawns and grassy areas such as parks, fields, or any newly mulched garden throughout the western region of the Pacific Northwest. This species has been observed growing all year long in the Seattle, Washington area. If there is a light winter, they will appear throughout the year.

Season: From late July through September in lawns and grassy areas and from late September through December in mulched garden beds.

Dosage: 20 to 40 fresh specimens, 1/3 to 1/2 ounce fresh or 2-3 dried grams.
(Stunzii are a bit weaker than cubensis by weight)











Credits, text and pics, MJ & Roadkill

[red_lenses]

Cool you ever try em?

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by red_lenses

Cool you ever try em?

Nope, unfortunately they've become pretty rare.
Just wanted to shed some light on this species.

[red_lenses]

sporewoks has em i think.

[waylitjim]

Yup...http://sporeworks.com/xcart/catalog/...r-p-16229.html

[red_lenses]

I like the way you can almost see the gills from the top.
Very cool !
Nice post.

Red

[panic]

do you happen to know when this was discovered? just curious how long it takes a species to become rare.....

It can take a species two days or two million years to become rare. It all depends on when the observations began. I'm sure that this little shroom has been around for many many years, and it may only be rare in the places people are looking.

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by dial8

It can take a species two days or two million years to become rare. It all depends on when the observations began. I'm sure that this little shroom has been around for many many years, and it may only be rare in the places people are looking.

Yeah, blue ringers have been around as long as I can remember. Very common around here. Proly the most common.

[BennyBlanco]

Those are the best pics of stunzii Ive seen.

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by BennyBlanco

Those are the best pics of stuntzii Ive seen.

Me too Benny, those top images are really nice. I had a hard time finding photos.

Originally Posted by the_chosen_one

Yeah, blue ringers have been around as long as I can remember. Very common around here. Proly the most common.

It seems that Ps cyans are more common in the PNW then then Stunzii. Have you seen any
this season TCO? Try to get some pics if possible.

There is definitely a resemblence between Psilocbye Stuntzii and Psilocybe Cyanofibrillosa.
Here they are side by side, both have a viscid cap with a separate pellicle. Both grow well
on alder, but Stuntzii can also grow in new lawns.

Stuntzii


Cyanofibs.

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by waylitjim

From what I've seen, it seems that Ps cyans are more common in the PNW then then Stuntzii. Have you seen any this season TCO? Try to get some pics if possible.
There is definitely a resemblence between Psilocbye Stuntzii and Psilocybe Cyanofibrillosa.
Here they are side by side, both have a viscid cap with a separate pellicle. Both grow well
on alder, but Stuntzii can also grow in new lawns.

Have'nt seen very many this year. I'll try and get ya some pics WLJ. I don't live near the Kent Valley anymore which is the best place to find them, but they grow everywhere. They are quite often confused with Cyans by the younger pickers cause they can be found together in large patches and look very much the same. Those young pickers usually get a big surprise when they dose! I've heard cyans are the most common here but imo the stunzii are far more common. One can pick several pounds in just a few hours when a good patch is found. They can be found in most large grassy areas like schools, churches and parks. The turf farms used to be the best. Many of the local counties use the mulch from the same suppliers which is what they are actually growing on. Stuntzii are also one of the easiest to transplant as well. It's common to go to the park and find large chunks of turf removed. They are also fairly easy to grow indoors except for the fruiting stage which can really only be done outdoors.

[Hippie3]

archive material

[waylitjim]

Stunzii

I have a stuntzii print, are they hard to grow??

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by pissybee

I have a stuntzii print, are they hard to grow??

The myc is very easy. It can even be grown PF style. Fruiting is the hard part, at least indoors. Outside, not so hard.

[waylitjim]

Habitat: Growing gregarious to subcespitose clusters and clumps in conifer wood chips and bark mulch (alder wood), in soils rich in woody debris, and in new lawns of freshly laid sod.

To cultivate these, treat them just like a woodlover. You can start spores with PF jars > spawn to small alder chips and dust > and use the colonized woodchips as spawn for an outdoor bed. Mix in some black gold organic soil and plant grass on top. Keep the bed moist and you should get fruits.

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by waylitjim

Habitat: Growing gregarious to subcespitose clusters and clumps in conifer wood chips and
bark mulch (alder wood), in soils rich in woody debris, and in new lawns of freshly laid sod.
To cultivate these, treat them just like a woodlover. You can start spores
with PF jars > spawn to small alder chips and dust > and use the colonized
woodchips as spawn for an outdoor bed. Mix in some black gold organic soil
and plant grass on top. Keep the bed moist and you should get fruits.

Great tek WLJ! If I might add, fruiting temps should be around 60deg F or lower (although I've seen them growing in warmer weather) with 80% humidity (min) as well. PF jars used for spawn can be grown indoors at room temp. They will colonize very fast.