MONTHLY FEATURE: Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata : Hopewell Strain Spore Isolate Syringe

Spore Works Lab Monthly Feature

On the first day of every month, Spore Works Lab releases a limited quantity of mushroom spore or culture material from rare, interesting, and exotic varieties. These represent the ongoing efforts of our dedicated team towards collection, taxonomy, and species/strain development, and are offered at a discount to encourage further investigation. Your patronage ensures the continued research and development of these wonderful mushroom varieties, thank you for your support. Quantities are limited, as new features will be announced and rotated each month.

Isolate provided in sterile aqueous solution using 10cc Luer-Lok syringes. One 1.5in 16ga needle will be provided for each syringe. For more information on Spore Isolate Syringes, see our Blog Update: "Spore Isolates: What and Why."

Comments: First documented in 2003 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, this species has since been found to be widespread in North America, being particularly common in the springtime in the Ohio River valley. A wood-loving cold tolerant species, it prefers well-rotted box elder in riparian zones prone to flooding, with massive fruitings reported along the length of the Ohio River and its tributaries from West Virginia to Kentucky.

Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata is a temperate woodlover endemic to the eastern United States, where it fruits in great numbers from April to June. This variety was isolated from a collection made near Chillicothe, Ohio, close to the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park, an archaeological site where a two-thousand-year-old copper effigy of this species was found.

See also its close relative, Psilocybe subaeruginascens

Habitat: Hardwood logs and debris
Climate: Temperate

Strain Origin: Ohio, USA

Cap: (1) 1.5 — 5 (8) cm across, convex to subumbonate, chestnut or orangish brown to yellowish brown to pearly cream color, hygrophanous, glabrous, sub-viscid, translucent-striate near the margin, from slightly to highly undulated in maturity.

Gills: adnate attachment and range from whitish to rusty brown, lavender, or dark purple brown.

Stipe: (1.5) 3 – 9 (13) cm long by (2) 3 – 15 (20) mm wide, equal, somewhat subbulbous, hollow, base sometimes hypogeous, smooth at the top and often having small hairs near the bottom, colored whitish with irregular yellowish, brownish, or bluish tones. The partial veil is variable, ranging from a thin cortina that leaves a barely perceptible annular zone, to a substantial membrane that leaves a fairly persistent annulus. If a veil remnant is present, it is often found near the middle of the stem (unlike many other Psilocybe species, where it is just under the cap).

Spores: (7–) 8–9 (–12) × ( 5.5 – ) 6 – 7 (–8.5) μm, rhomboid to subrhomboid in face view, subellipsoid in side view, thick-walled, with the wall 0.8 to 1.5 μm thick. One type of pleurocystidia measures 16 - 24 x 6 - 8 and is venstricose-rostrate. The other type is larger, 20 - 40 micrometers by 12 - 16 micrometers, globose-pyriform, sometimes with a narrow apex and narrow base.

* Spore isolate intended for microscopy and taxonomy purposes only. Images provided for informational and educational reference only and originate from cultivators and labs outside the US. Cultivation of this species is illegal in many countries including locations within the United States. Please check your local regulations.

California, Idaho, Florida, and Georgia residents: Orders requesting Psilocybe Genera material shipped to California, Idaho, and Georgia will be refused, voided, or refunded. Possession of these mushroom spores may be illegal in CA, ID, and GA without the proper permissions.

So, what exactly is an Isolate? In contrast to the multi-spore syringes, which contain a wide variety of genetic material in tens of thousands of spores, our isolates contain only one set of genes. This assures that it will perform consistently and uniformly in your research. In instances where genetic diversity is desired, we recommend our multi spore products. When predictability is preferred, isolates are the best choice.