Copelandia cyanescens: a jet black spore print from a dung dweller
A spore print is a deposit of the spores themselves. A mature cap is placed gills down on a sterilised surface, in practice usually aluminium foil, covered over and left for a few hours up to a full day. What remains is a layer of spores in the pattern of the gills. For this species that layer is jet black, and the colour of a spore print is often the first feature a mycologist checks.
Copelandia cyanescens is the name that has stuck longest in the trade. Taxonomically the species is now Panaeolus cyanescens, placed in the family Bolbitiaceae within the order Agaricales, and the genus Copelandia has been dropped. The cap stays small at roughly 1.5 to 4 centimetres across, starting hemispheric and expanding to campanulate or convex. Young caps are light brown and fade to off white or light grey at maturity, sometimes with yellowish or brownish tones. The stem is long and thin in proportion: 6 to 12 centimetres by 2 to 4 millimetres. The gills start out grey and turn black as the spores ripen, with white, mottled edges. Damaged tissue stains greenish to blue.
What you see under the microscope
The spores are jet black, smooth, opaque and elliptical, with a clear germ pore. They measure around 12 to 15 by 7 to 11 micrometres, which is substantial next to many other gilled mushrooms. A microscope at 400 times magnification or more is enough. Use a sterile needle to transfer a small amount of material from the print onto a slide, add a drop of water and lower a cover slip onto it. Work with clean tools and clean hands, because dust on the slide is hard to tell apart from what you are trying to look at.
Origin and habitat
Panaeolus cyanescens is coprophilous, a dung dweller: in the wild it grows on the droppings of grazing animals in pasture. The species occurs across tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean, and in the United States in Hawaii and the southeastern states. Those Hawaiian populations gave it its nickname. Compared with Psilocybe cubensis the species has a reputation for being demanding, since it wants a dung based substrate and higher temperatures.
Storage and what the print is for
Store the print cool, dry and away from light, which keeps the spores usable for the longest time. Do not touch the spore surface with your fingers and leave it wrapped until you use it. We sell spore prints for microscopy and identification; what is permitted beyond that differs from country to country, so check before you go any further.
Alongside spore prints, Avalon Magic Plants stocks spore syringes and spore vials of Psilocybe cubensis, liquid culture syringes and separate supplies such as alcohol preps, sterile gloves and a sterile syringe with needle. Your order is shipped in discreet packaging.
