Psilocybin-containingHymenogastraceae
Gymnopilus luteofolius
Yellow-gilled gymnopilus
Rusty-spored wood rotter with yellow gills and mild psilocybin content.
- Cap
- Convex to flat, 2-8 cm, purplish red fading to yellow-brown, dry and scaly.
- Gills
- Crowded, yellow becoming rusty orange.
- Stem
- 30-80 mm, fibrous, yellowish with a faint ring zone, sometimes bluing.
- Flesh
- Yellowish, may stain blue-green.
- Spore print
- Rusty orange-brown
- Habitat
- Dead hardwood, wood chips and stumps, often in large clusters.
- Distribution
- North America, Europe, Asia.
- Season
- Summer to autumn.
- Bruising
- Occasional blue-green staining.
- Odour
- Not distinctive.
- Potency
- Mild
Key features
- ▪Rusty orange spore print
- ▪Bright yellow gills
- ▪Scaly dry cap on wood
Field tests
- Spore print is rusty, which rules out Psilocybe
- Bitter taste is typical of Gymnopilus
Edibility
Some collections contain psilocybin; extremely bitter.
Warning
A rusty spore print here overlaps with deadly Galerina, so never gather rusty-spored mushrooms for consumption.
Photo and feature-based identification is probabilistic. Never consume a wild mushroom on the basis of an app result — confirm with an experienced mycologist.