Psilocybe cubensis on Redwoods??

[Dimitrius]

So I found these on Christmas day, in the most unlikely of places. This was a surprise, as I was looking for Cyanscens, something that's very new to me, as I'm not from here, or this area in general.

I found these growing RIGHT out of the logs. Big, giant redwood logs. My first sighting, was out of a crack on the end. Then, all around the sides. It was a wonderful sight.

I had no phone, or anything else, at the time, so I had no way of taking photos of the habitat....

I did, however, take some really nice (the best I could do) webcam photos, as soon as I got home.

There was violet sporing on the caps of the sheltered mushrooms in the cluster you see.

There's no blue bruising as of yet, but everything else says a YES, as far as appearances and feel.

Tell me I'm not wrong.....What do you think?

 

[Mr.Peabody]

Sorry, but I very highly doubt those are cubes. I have never heard of cubes on any woody plant matter, they are quite strictly dung lovers.

It is possible you may have found a different psilocybe species, but don't hold your breath. I recommend doing a spore print to see the color and arrangement of the spores and gills. Absolutely DO NOT eat these unless you get a solid ID. They can be very tricky, and look very similar. No amount of wishing they are right will make them right, so don't fall into that trap!

My personal judgement says these are not the shrooms you're looking for.

 

[jamie]

Im pretty certain those are not cubes Dimitrius..for sure dont eat them..

 

[null24]

I applaud anyone efforts to go out and harvest their own supplies, BUT please do research.
One, there are two types of mushroom Hunters, those who research their quarry, and those who are dead.
Cubes are ding lovers, as Jamie pointed out, and cyans are saprophytes, meaning they decompose wood debris. In between the two shall never meet. One tell-take sign is the presence of bluing. I take it you are near the coast above the bay area, since you are in redwood, and I'm pretty sure the entire range has experienced freezing temps. If a fruiting colony were able somehow to survive a freeze, there would be prominent bluong, especially around the rim of the cap. That's IF they were especially hardyshrooms.

Up here where I reside, the Willamette valley, we saw early hard frosts that both put am end to the season early and put me in a bad mood, since I rely on the mushroom for my anti-depressanr medication, but that's neither here nor there.

A tip for you in the future-bring along a camera of done sort, and of you are unsure of what you found, take good pics and post to the Shroomery's "hunting & identification"forum. There are some good, knowledgeable folks in that (one) sub-forum who'd be happy to help.

Also, mushrooms serve a vital function to their habitat, and removing an entire fruiting can have negative effects-possibly preventing future flushes because spores were unable to fall.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, just be careful man, we don't want to hear about the agonizing death of a fellow because they didn't research enough.

So, the info is out there, research, research, research,.and study alive. Know your quarry, know it's habitat and function. Think like the shroom, and you'll find it. (or vice versa)

Again, I'm not coming down on you, I have no right to, it's just early in the morning and I haven't had my second cup yet! (grumble grumble grumble)

Happy trails, brother!

 

[sleepypelican]

i'm no expert, but those dont look quite right too me, especially the ones in the cluster...

 

[Parshvik Chintan]

take a print, check for blue bruising.

 

[Hyperspace Fool]

Spore print, and be very sure with your ID.

I am gonna guess Kuehneromyces mutabilis if you are lucky and Galerinas if you are not.

Neither is psychoactive, and Galerinas are deadly. You absolutely don't wanna have amatoxins destroy your liver, so do your research.

Who knows? You may get really lucky, and have some odd, non-wavy cyans... or azures. I do believe that some copelandias can grow on wood, though they mostly prefer dung and grassland. But your pics don´t look like copes. If they do wind up bruising blue, you might be in luck.

But still take a spore print and don't mess around.

 

[Dimitrius]

I couldn't get a print. The only ones that had any color to the gills, were the cluster, which sporulated purple.

I will def not eat them....I'm not a newbie by the way. Just new to the coast out here.

It definitely looks like a cubensis, other than the lack of bluing and habitat.

Idk.....whatever.

The color, by the way, is almost completely washed out by the lameness of the webcam.

If you saw them in person, you'd be O_O too.....but maybe not, I'm the newb here...to the west coast.

 

[null24]

I almost feel bad, but I was not questioning your mushroom credibility, I'm anewb to the mycovenator world, only hunted two seasons now.
But I do know that the season is dead here in the northern Willy valley, and was concerned that cubes don't really grow here at all, and not on wood of they were somehow found, and it would be tragic if someone here lost their life due to eating galerinas or something.

Personally the season was a bust fir me thus year, too busy with life (and death) to hunt.

Sorry if I ruffled some feathers.
Again, happy trails...

 

[glorf]

Hypholoma fasciculare (MushroomExpert.Com)

these are very common on the west coast. they can form unbelievably large and dense clusters in parks. they will never turn blue.

 

[Mr.Peabody]

Well, newb or not, just about anyone can be fooled from time to time. Its not about ego, or experience, or any of that. One must always be on guard when picking shrooms, as you obviously know.

I found these mushrooms this year in the same place as I usually find ps. cyanescens. It was early in the season, and these things looked SO right, especially the young ones. I picked some, did a print, and it even looked purple. I knew they weren't cyans, but thought they might be a close cousin or something. I waited until some more popped up, and sure enough, they were not right. No blueing, and when the real cyans came to town, it was very clear. I am no 30 year mushroom veteran, but I have been picking for about 5 years, so I know what I'm doing. I tell you, those look-alikes were damn convincing to my eyes.

So don't feel bad if you ever get fooled like that. They make no intention to differentiate themselves, which makes it tricky at times. Mushrooms in general are tricky, silly little punks!

Good luck hunting!

 

[Dimitrius]

Sorry Null. It wasn't about you, or anyone else for that matter.

Just felt really dreary and down, and in a LOT of pain, just felt "fuck it".

Not a good day for me. Was typing through pain, when I probably shouldn't have.

I'm feeling it a little bit right now, the pain.

 

[Dimitrius]

And to everyone, I was just a bit (that's an understatement) overwhelmed reading the responses, due to the pain, not the conent. I was just having a horrible time the other day.

Not many people know this about me, but I've been in HORRIBLE health for the past 6-7 years...before I even got here.

I try to type as clearly as possible. I just can't sometims, but alas...try anyway, always to detriment, and the confusion of others.

Sorry.

 

[Dimitrius]

Glorf, that looks quite like, at least in a few of them. Epecially the 3rd picture down.

Thank you.