Gymnopilus purpuratus

Gymnopilus purpuratus is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae.[1] It grows in clusters on dead wood, tree stumps and wood chip mulch. It is widely distributed and has been recorded in Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand,[2] the UK and Germany. It has a broadly convex cap covered in small dry reddish-brown scales, a stout yellow stem beneath reddish brown, wine-red to purple vertical fibres, and a thick rusty orange spore print.

The fruitbodies can stain greenish, blue and purple when damaged, and the species is psychoactive. A chemical analysis carried out by Jochen Gartz in 1993 found that this species contains 0.34% psilocybin, 0.29% psilocin and 0.05% baeocystin.

Gymnopilus purpuratus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hymenogastraceae
Genus: Gymnopilus
Species:
G. purpuratus
Binomial name
Gymnopilus purpuratus
(Cooke & Massee) Singer (1955)
Synonyms
  • Agaricus purpuratus Cooke & Massee (1890)

Description

Gymnopilus purpuratus
Gills on hymenium
Cap is convex or umbonate
Hymenium is adnate or adnexed
Stipe is bare
Spore print is yellow-orange
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is psychoactive

The cap ranges from 1.5 to 6 cm across, is convex to obtuse, and is reddish brown with a dry scaly surface which is sometimes cracked in age. The stem is brown-red and covered by fibers and has blue-green spots where the stem is damaged. The gills are crowded, yellow to orange, and adnexed. The stem is dusted with rusty orange spores and has a cottony scanty partial veil.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Index Fungorum - Gymnopilus purpuratus (Cooke & Massee) Singer 1955". Index Fungorum. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Biota of New Zealand - Maanaki Whenua Landcare Research - Gymnopilus purpuratus (Cooke & Massee) Singer 1955". Biota.of New Zealand. Retrieved 27 May 2023.

[1]

Media related to Gymnopilus purpuratus at Wikimedia Commons

  1. ^ Guzmán-Dávalos, Laura; Mueller, Gregory M.; Cifuentes, Joaquín; Miller, Andrew N.; Santerre, Anne (2003). "Traditional infrageneric classification of Gymnopilus is not supported by ribosomal DNA sequence data". Mycologia. 95 (6): 1204–1214. doi:10.1080/15572536.2004.11833028. PMID 21149021. S2CID 3293845.