Gymnopilus
Encyclopedia
Gymnopilus is a genus of gilled mushrooms within the fungal family Strophariaceae
Strophariaceae
The Strophariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. The family contains 18 genera and 1316 species. The species of Strophariaceae have a red-brown to dark brown spore print, while the spores themselves are smooth and have an apical germ pore. These agarics are also characterized by...

 containing about 200 rusty-orange spored mushroom species formerly divided among Pholiota
Pholiota
Pholiota is a genus of small to fleshy mushrooms in the family Strophariaceae. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 150 species....

and the defunct genus Flammula. The fruiting body is typically reddish brown to rusty orange to yellow, medium to large, often with a well-developed veil. Most members of Gymnopilus grow on wood but at times may appear terrestrial if the wood is buried or decomposed. Members of Pholiota and Cortinarius
Cortinarius
Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2000 different species and found worldwide. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina between the cap and the stem, hence the name,...

are easy to confuse with Gymnopilus. Pholiota can be distinguished by its viscid cap and duller (brown to cinnamon brown) spores, and Cortinarius grows on the ground. Beginners can confuse Gymnopilus with Galerina
Galerina
Galerina is a genus of small brown-spored saprobic mushrooms, with over 300 species found throughout the world, from the far north to remote Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean. Species are typically small and hygrophanous, with a slender and brittle stem. They are often found growing on wood,...

, which contains deadly poisonous species.

The Gymnopilus genus has over 200 species worldwide.

The name means naked pileus
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...

.

Psychoactive species

14 members of Gymnopilus contain psilocybin
Psilocybin
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug, with mind-altering effects similar to those of LSD and mescaline, after it is converted to psilocin. The effects can include altered thinking processes, perceptual distortions, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences, as well as...

, although their bitter taste often deters recreational users. These species include G. aeruginosus
Gymnopilus aeruginosus
Gymnopilus aeruginosus, also known as the Magic Blue Gym, is a mushroom which grows in clusters on dead wood and wood chip mulch. It is widely distributed and common in the Pacific Northwest. It has a rusty orange spore print and a bitter taste and contains the hallucinogen psilocybin...

, G. braendlei
Gymnopilus braendlei
Gymnopilus braendlei is a species of fungus that contains the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocin. It was originally collected by mycologist Charles Horton Peck as Flammula braendlei in the District of Columbia near Washington .-Description:...

, G. intermedius
Gymnopilus intermedius
Gymnopilus intermedius is a species of mushroom in the Cortinariaceae family. It was given its current name by mycologist Rolf Singer in 1951.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...

, G. junonius
Gymnopilus junonius
Gymnopilus junonius is a species of mushroom in the Cortinariaceae family. Commonly known as laughing gym, laughing Jim, or the spectacular rustgill, this large orange mushroom is typically found growing on tree stumps, logs, or tree bases...

, G. liquiritiae
Gymnopilus liquiritiae
Gymnopilus liquiritiae is a mushroom in the Cortinariaceae family. The mushroom is widely distributed and grows in dense clusters on dead conifer wood. It has a rusty orange spore print, a bitter taste, and may contain the hallucinogen psilocybin...

, G. luteofolius
Gymnopilus luteofolius
Gymnopilus luteofolius, also known as Yellow-Gilled Gymnopilus is a large and widely distributed mushroom which grows in dense clusters on dead hardwoods and conifers. It has a rusty orange spore print and a bitter taste. It contains the hallucinogen psilocybin...

, G. luteoviridis
Gymnopilus luteoviridis
Gymnopilus luteoviridis is a widely distributed mushroom of the Eastern United States that contains the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocin.-Description:...

, G. luteus
Gymnopilus luteus
Gymnopilus luteus also called the "Yellow Gymnopilus" is a widely distributed mushroom of the Eastern United States, it contains the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocin. Often mistaken for Gymnopilus junonius.-Description:...

, G. purpuratus
Gymnopilus purpuratus
Gymnopilus purpuratus is mushroom which grows in clusters on dead wood, pig dung and wood chip mulch. It is widely distributed and has been recorded in Argentina, Australia, Chile, the UK and Germany...

, G. subpurpuratus
Gymnopilus subpurpuratus
Gymnopilus subpurpuratus is a species of mushroom in the Cortinariaceae family.-Phylogeny:This species is in the aeruginosus-luteofolius infrageneric grouping in the genus Gymnopilus.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...

, Gymnopilus validipes
Gymnopilus validipes
Gymnopilus validipes is a widely distributed mushroom of North America and Europe. Gymnopilus validipes contains the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocin. The mild taste of this mushroom stands in contrast to closely related bitter species...

and Gymnopilus viridans
Gymnopilus viridans
Gymnopilus viridans is a rarely documented mushroom. It contains the hallucinogens psilocybin and psilocin. The last known collection is from Washington, United States .-Description:...

. Subspecies of G. junonius from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 are reported to contain psilocybin, while some western North American members are inactive.

Several species of Gymnopilus contain bis-noryangonin [4-hydroxy-6-(4-hydrostyryl)-2-pyrone] and hispidine [4-hydroxy-6-(3,4-dihydroxystyryl)-2-pyrone], which are closely related to the alpha-pyrones found in kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....

.

Phylogenetics

A 2003 phylogenetics
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...

 study identified five well-supported clades within Gymnopilus:
  1. the spectabilis-imperialis group
  2. nevadensis-penetrans group
  3. a clade formed by G. underwoodii, G. validipes and G. cf. flavidellus
  4. aeruginosus-luteofolius group
  5. lepidotus-subearlei group


Although the genus Gymnopilus was found to be monophyletic, the phylogenetically related groups do not support the traditional infrageneric classifications based on morphology.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK