21 replies to this topic

[Alan Rockefeller]

not to hijack but am ha what are  best ways to distinguish Gallerina,from cyan

 

To distinguish Galerina from Psilocybe, pay close attention to the way the gills change color from start to finish.    Galerina has orange spores, so the gills start out beige and turn orange as the mushroom matures.    Psilocybe has purple spores, so the gills start out beige and turn to dark purple brown as the mushroom matures. The two genera also have different stipe textures and colors and cap characteristics.

[Coopdog]

Gallerinas have a brown stem, with a ring on it. Cyans usually have pretty white stems and are tough to break, whereas Gallerinas have softer more delicate stems and no pellicle or slime layer on top of the cap. The best way to learn is to join a group and see them side by side, and compare them often until you can just look and see the difference. At first glance they look much the same to someone who is not paying attention. I am lucky I never died that way when I was carelessly gathering them years ago. Folks say Gallerinas only grow on dead trees, but I have seen them mixed right in there with Cyans a few times in my life. Scary to see because if you were simply gathering by the handfull you could easily be DEAD. Definitely study up on your Gallerinas and the differences.