Some nice Azures

[waylitjim]

Ps. Azurescens photos from @Cro







*Credit* @Cro

[tobynutz]

those are lovely. when is the season for those up in the NW? can those be dried or do they lose potency? it would be an awesome trip to drive there and stumble on to a shitload of those haha

[rockawayrooms]

Indeed,those are very LOVELY
Thx fer sharing Jim!!

[waylitjim]

This is the season for Azures. (untill late Nov. early Dec.)
They are native to Hammond and Astoria Oregon.
Azurescens do lose quite a bit of magic when dried.
Ps cyanescens keep thier potency better then azures.
Ps. cyans holds its potency for many years when dry
and other collectors have complained that azures
lose a lot of potency in drying (after three to six months.)
They are truly a beautiful species...esp when you eat em fresh

[tobynutz]

when u say they lose a bit of their power, would they still be stronger than cubes ?

[waylitjim]

Even when dry, azures are at least 2x as strong as cubs.
When fresh their 3-4x as strong.

[rockawayrooms]

Is that a toad i see in the first pic?
If it is i'm sure he is having a great time.

All I can say is "WOW"!

[Psychenaut]

I wanna be 2 inches tall running around under those mushrooms in a little mushroom would taking bites out of them here and there. Then I shall have tea with the white rabbit as we watch the morning sun rise on top a mushroom cap. hehe YIPPPY! Those are so pretty!

[panic]

jim, i dig how you just seem to come up w/ these pics and facts on different exotics out of the blue like this. gives me some things to think about.

[SharkieJones]

Very nice as usual. I tried my hand at Cyans. Knocked up some petri dishes...nothing happened. I guess the spores were not viable. At least I can look at your pics and enjoy.

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by Joshua

I took these pictures much earlier this season as part of a group of myconauts
named the Psilly Pseven.

*Credits* Psilly Pseven Crew

I remember this thread. That is f'ing awsome! I wonder if they left any.

[waylitjim]

Here are some of Anno's beautiful photos.















*credit* Anno

I love the natural pictures of the azures. Thanks for sharing those WaylitJim!!!
Or thank the psilly pseven "crew", whatever or whomever they are.

Are Anno's and The Psilly Pseven Crew's from different parts of the world?

I'm asking because they have some different cap appearances to me.

Anno's look taller with a smaller more conic cap.
The Psilly Pseven Crew's look like they have shorter stipes with larger wider caps and a tendency for the nipple top.
Very lovely fruits no matter what though.

[waylitjim]

Abstract: This species can be placed into Stirps Cyanescens of the Section Cyanescens as amended by Guzman (1983). This new species is autumnal and lignicolous, living in soils enriched with deciduous wood- debris, characterestic of riparian woodlands of the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest of North America. Strongly bruising bluish to indigo-black, this Psilocybe species features a hazelnut to caramel-colored pileus and a stipe whose base radiates clusters of white rhizomorphs. This novel species is delineated through a combination of morphological and microscopic feautures and possesses unusally high concentrations of psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin.

Distribution: Specimens were first collected on an alluvial plain along the Columbia river network near Astoria, Oregon in 1979. Fruitings of this species are known from Oregon and Washington.

Habitat: - Cespitose to gregarious on deciduous wood-chips and/or in sandy soils rich in lignicolous debris. Aspect collyboid, generating an extensive, dense and tenacious mycelial mat, Psilocybe azurescens causes the whitening of wood. Fruitings begin in late September and continue until harsh frost, usually mid-November.

Taxonomic Considerations: Psilocybe azurescens generally resembles Psilocybe bohemica (Sebek), Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa (Guzman & Stamets), Psilocybe cyanescens (Wakefield), Psilocybe eucalypta (Guzman & Walting), Complete reproductive barriers have been found between Psilocybe azurescens and Pacific Northwest European collections of Psilocybe cyanescens.

In it's natural habitat, the general aspect of Psilocybe azurescens is most similar to Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa but differs in several significant macroscopic features. Psilocybe azurescens has pleurocystidia whereas Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa has long necked, lageniform cheilocystidia, often forked, while Psilocybe azurescens has singly formed, fusoid ventricose cheilocystidia with short necks. Macroscopically Psilocybe azurescens is much larger in form and quickly bruises bluish to indigo-black upon handling. The bruising reaction in P. cyanofibrillosa is less intense and comparatively slow in appearing, which directly reflects it's low psilocybin content (Bocks, 1968; Stamets et al. 1980). Both species are characterized by non- undulating pileal margins.

Psilocybe azurescens also closely resembles a variety of Pacific Northwest Psilocybe widely reported as Psilocybe cyanescens, a species originally discovered in the British Isles. This variety of Psilocybe cyanescens gained considerable notoriety in the mid-1970's. Yet, this mushroom has probably been confused with other taxa. The mushroom portrayed in many popular field guides and identified as Psilocybe cyanescens differs from the type in the relative number of surface cystidia.

In the Pacific Northwest, Psilocybe azurescens can be macroscopically distinguished from Psilocybe cyanescens by the following combination of features. Psilocybe azurescens has a cap margin characteristically even, not undulating and has a persitent, pronounced umbo at the disc when the pileus fully expands. The variety of P. cyanescens from the Pacific Northwest is characterized by distinctive, exaggerated undulating margin, resembling a sine-wave at maturity and is notably non-umbonate. In general, Psilocybe azurescens, as it is presently understood, is substantially larger than most collections of Psilocybe cyanescens. Microscopically, the pleurocystidia in Psilocybe azurescens are mucronate whereas the Pacific Northwest form Psilocybe cyanescens can become distinctly capitate at maturity. Otherwise, the microscopic features of Psilocybe azurescens are largely coincident within the range reported for the Pacific Northwest Psilocybe cyanescens.

A closely related species is Psilocybe eucalypta (Guzman & Watling.) Psilocybe eucalypta has smaller and narrower cheilocystidia, only 15-25 x 4.4-6.6 um in comparison to Psilocybe azurescens cheilocystidia which measure 23-28 x 6.5-8.0 um. Furthermore, Psilocybe azurescens produces a more massive fruitbody, with a pileal diameter of 30 to 100 mm whereas P. eucalypta is smaller, falling within a range of 15-38 mm. P. eucalypta has thus far only been reported from the region centering around eastern Australia.

Psilocybe azurescens is being named for the soft blue tones present on the mushroom, before handling or damage, especially along the cap margin and in the basal mycelium. Additionally the name also honors the son of one of the authors (Paul Stamets).

Chemical Analyses: In comparison to other species of Psilocybe, the fruitbodies of Psilocybe azurescens contain unusually high concentrations of psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin - accumulating to more than 2% of the dry biomass of the mushrooms (Beug & Bigwood, Gartz) Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) reveals a nearly identical profile of extracts from P. semilanceata and Psilocybe azurescens (psilocybin, baeocystin and six minor alkaloids), differing only in psilocin content (Gartz, 1985). Baeocystin is present in high concentrations in Psilocybe azurescens and P. semilanceata. Gartz has determined that baeocystin is also a hallucinogenic compound.

Information from Paul Stamets and Jochen Gartz
"A new caerulescent Psilocybe from the Pacific Coast of Northwestern America"

[waylitjim]

Originally Posted by freakachino

Are Anno's and The Psilly Pseven Crew's from different parts of the world?
I'm asking because they have some different cap appearances to me.
Anno's look taller with a smaller more conic cap.
The Psilly Pseven Crew's look like they have shorter stipes with larger wider caps and a tendency for the nipple top.

Anno's Azures are from the Netherlands,
The Psilly Pseven Azures are from Oregon.
Good observation Freakachino.

Great info there Waylit!!!! I learn so much here at Mycotopia everyday

So the climatic variables must play a strong role in the appearance as well. And I never knew there were so many similar psilocybes (woodlovers) in appearance to them besides the cyans.

I love the pcitures of them in nature, so beautiful.

[waylitjim]

Well these are cyans,
but the picture is so cute,
it deserves a spot here.



*credit* cute kitty and shrooms -icehouseshaman

I love that wooden shoe!!!!! And the kitty! Kitties seem to like mushies, at least mine does.

Cyans do resemble azures. Woodlovers are also more gelatinous (sp?) looking.

I love that picture, its my wallpaper now

[geeraff]

oh. GOOD job anno. Everyone in that area knows that the ettiquette is to not rip the mushrooms out from the roots. Your supposed to snap it, so they can grow again later....the more people do that, the more they flourish.

[geeraff]

Beautiful Pictures of the Azzies in the natural habitat. I'm drooling.

[geeraff]

Originally Posted by geeraff

oh. GOOD job anno. Everyone in that area knows that the ettiquette is to not rip the mushrooms out from the roots. Your supposed to snap it, so they can grow again later....the more people do that, the more they flourish.

well, if your in a public pickin area, that holds true.... if it's your personal garden, do what you want, but if it were me, i'd like to see some again the following year.

[agentstone]

Waylit... Awsome photos! Thanks for sharing. Theres nothing more beautiful than seeing nature blossom.

Quick tech question: Do you know the temp @ which Anno's jar was incubated at? Also the moisture content of the chips?
Thanks in advance.
-Stone

Very nice pictures. Yes, it's Azure season now. I also have to call 'old wives tale' on the cut, don't pull thing. The mycelial network is spread out over a large area. I've pulled them for years, and they still come back.
RR

[geeraff]

Really? I don't have any proof to backup what i said.....plus, i mistakenly assumed them to be picked from or...so...you think it doesn't matter? I've just heard that from every single person ive met in hammond,or picking

[geeraff]

now that i think of it, i guess your right....once i thought about how cakes work...it seems like it wouldnt matter....what about the "fact" that the more you pick the mushrooms, the more the spores spread and the more they grow? myth? hmmmmm

Makes sense to me about spreading spores. Also, I showed a patch of cyanescens to Gaston Guzman himself, and the old man got down on his knees and started picking like a kid. Even HE didn't see the need to cut them off. It was pretty hillarious actually, watching an 85 year old man picking his trip for that night.
RR

That is absolutely fabulous. I love this shit!

Originally Posted by Rodger

Also, I showed a patch of cyanescens to Gaston Guzman himself, and the old man got down on his knees and started picking like a kid. Even HE didn't see the need to cut them off. It was pretty hillarious actually, watching an 85 year old man picking his trip for that night.
RR

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by Rodger

Very nice pictures. Yes, it's Azure season now. I also have to call 'old wives tale' on the cut, don't pull thing. The mycelial network is spread out over a large area. I've pulled them for years, and they still come back.
RR

Awesome pics WLJ! RR, if ya ever get around the Dosewallips area look around a little. I planted some beds there several years ago that have been producing quite well ever since. Gonna head up that way this holiday weekend myself!

[geeraff]

wish i could Chosen. i live in korea now sooo...i'm stuck with drooling and baking cakes... it's ALL about picking though... NOTHING like the little guys in their natty habitat.

[geeraff]

Originally Posted by the_chosen_one

Gonna head up that way this holiday weekend myself!

HAPPY PICKINGS!

[the_chosen_one]

Originally Posted by geeraff

HAPPY PICKINGS!

Thanks!!! There's gotta be an undiscovered cubie strain somewhere in Korea! I don't think MJ has been there yet. You could be the first!!!

[agentstone]

Just did some thought on the whole "picking" subject. I would imagine that it would be more beneficial for the whole mycelial network if, when you pick, you pull out the little bit of mycelium with the bottom of the stem. This theory is based on the idea that removing the entire fruit body prevents parts of the fruit being left behing to rot as well as giving the mycelium below an easier change to form new pins. Another thing that I heard is giving the cap a few taps or flicks before picking to make as many spores as possible drop.

Happy Picking


-Stone

[shobimono]

I've never seen an apple tree die because the apples got picked. I've never seen an apple tree not produce apples because the the stems to the fruit weren't left on the tree.
The mushrooms (basidiocarps) are fruit. The body of the organism is the mycelium under the ground.
Now I imagine it is true that if you rip up a patch so badly that all the mycelium is exposed to air, it could dry up and the patch could die. But this is not the same as picking a fruit with myc attached.
I just find it hard to believe that removing a bit of myc with a fruit is going to do anything to the mycelium network as a whole.

[geeraff]

Originally Posted by the_chosen_one

Thanks!!! There's gotta be an undiscovered cubie strain somewhere in Korea! I don't think MJ has been there yet. You could be the first!!!

Hmmmm....but where to begin?

[geeraff]

Originally Posted by agentstone

Another thing that I heard is giving the cap a few taps or flicks before picking to make as many spores as possible drop.
Happy Picking
-Stone

i heard that too

[FLcubiefan]

Here people say to give the open caps a tap before we pull them, to spread more spores in the grass.. its usually purple all around the cowpies anyhow.

[geeraff]

Originally Posted by FLcubiefan

Here people say to give the open caps a tap before we pull them, to spread more spores in the grass.. its usually purple all around the cowpies anyhow.

COWPIES??? hahahah...these aren't cubies brah. Contrary to popular belief, all magic fungus does not grow out of cow dung. The ones in question grow off woodchips and near dune grass native to the NW usa. Oh I see...your a FL cubie fan...carry on

[geeraff]

bump for the beeeeeeauties

[statikal]

Yummy

[eatyualive]

wow, lord, you are makin me so jealous!