Penis Envy Mushrooms
In the mushroom cultivation community, the Penis Envy variety is notorious. Immediately one might assume this is due to its phallic shape. though many also consider it a variety that stands out for its potency. In cultivation forums, you’ll often read the phrase “a cube is a cube”. referring to the fact that despite the many different Psilocybe cubensis varieties available. they’re similar both growing requirements and potency. But many consider penis envy mushrooms to be of particularly high potency. something that seems to be confirme by the work of Oakland Hyphae and the Psilocybin Cup. leading to many penis envy mushrooms aficionados to caveat the uttered phrase “A cube is a cube… except for Penis Envy.”
Penis Envy magic mushrooms are the most potent variety of Psilocybe cubensis mushroom
Penis Envy Mushroom History
The history of the Penis Envy mushroom is one of the most talked about. but often confused, origin stories of all the varieties of Psilocybe cubensis. For many years, the go-to article for explaining how Penis Envy emerged was publishe in Vice in 2009. by journalist-turned-psychedelic-scientist Hamilton Morris. But, in a podcast published on Morris’ own Patreon in June 2021. he admits to having been misle by the infamous mycologist John Allen. (aka Mushroom John. of Psilocybe allenii fame), along with much hearsay found on various fungal forums.
Morris’ close-to-the-truth story from 2009 is a blend of a range of cult figures and folklore from the mushroom. community and roughly proceeds as follows: In the early 1970s. Terrence Mckenna found a huge wild patch of Psilocybe cubensis growing deep in the Columbian Amazon. Though magic mushrooms had recently made illegal. the spores were not (as is the case in most US states today). so Terrence took several spore prints back to his home in Colorado. One of these prints found its way to Steven Pollock. the medical doctor turned psychedelic mushroom enthusiast. who spent several years isolating the mushrooms to produce the. Penis Envy variety—before Pollock’s mysterious murder in 1981.
In more fanciful versions of the tale, Pollock was claime to found dead. with a Penis Envy mushroom clutched in his hand. A single spore print from Pollock’s phallic experiments (labeled only “penis”). found their way to Rich Gee a Washington-based mycologist. who kept the variety alive, but was impossible for Morris to track down. And so the story ends, with Pollock receiving credit and Rich Gee the caretaker of the variety.
Yet the plot thickens.
This whole story was revise in 2021 on Morris’ podcast, in an interview with Rich Gee himself. Last interviewed in 1998, Rich Gee (whose real name is Richard Guitierrez). is a reclusive figure. He has no online presence and little desire to be recognize for his contributions to the field of mycology. despite publishing two rare books on magic mushroom cultivation The first book. How to Identify and Grow Psilocybin Mushrooms. written by Gee and his friend Jules Stevens, and published in 1977. His second sole-authored book, Cubensis Aquarium Gardening. was published in 1995, from which Morris and others verified the first. recorded photograph of the then-unnamed Penis Envy mushroom. In the 2021 interview, Gee discusses his background in genetics. cloning, and manipulating yeast cells at the University of Washington. along with the trying tale of his near-death experience after shot in the jaw during a hunting accident in 1959. at age 10. Gee also developed grow kits. for the now out-of-business Homestead penis envy mushrooms in North Carolina, and according to him. The real Penis Envy story is a little different from that of legend.
Like the previous recountings, Gee claims the original spores that gave rise to Penis Envy came from. Terrence McKenna’s Amazonian collection. Though Gee never met McKenna, he got hold of these spores from his friend and coauthor Jules Stevens. who was working as a hairdresser at the time. Jules obtained the Amazonian Psilocybe cubensis spores from a friend. who got them from McKenna.
How to penis envy magic mushrooms
With his laboratory experience, Gee was able to purify the spores resulting in a clean culture. that was use to grow mushrooms in the aquarium system Gee had developed. From this culture, Gee observed three strains emerge, with one. in particular, showing a mutation where the cap wouldn’t stand up and had lots of immature. mushrooms that failed to grow to full size (known as aborts in cultivation terminology). Gee took this mutant strain and continued to clone it until. a normal-looking mushroom emerged, which was clone again. This time Gee was choosing large albino penis envy mushrooms to clone that showed a strong blue coloration when damaged. which we know today is a good indicator of potency. The size of these mushrooms was also improved by the high-quality. cow manure compost recipe Gee developed. Gee also claims the phallic shape was incidental. and not a characteristic that was selecte for.
As for the name, Gee credits this to a chance meeting with some strippers in 1977. to whom he showed a big bag of his mushrooms. which was then going by the name “Amazons.” When the strippers saw them they laughed and claimed they looked like “donkey dongs,”. to which Gee replied, “Do you have Penis Envy?” From there, the name stuck.
So is this new story true? Although it’s hard to verify, Gee appears to be one of the few still living people. with a direct connection to the Penis Envy variety. Also, the wealth of photographs he appears to have shown Morris—along with his botanical and genetic. background—appear to present a convincing account. Gee claims he doesn’t care about credit and that the only reason he reached out to Morris. is that the story had “got to the point of ridiculousness that it needed to be straightene out.”
Penis Envy Mushrooms Effects and Characteristics
As with all psilocybin-containing penis envy mushrooms, the effects of Penis Envy can be considere like any other magic mushroom. Despite users reporting different subjective effects of different varieties. there’s not yet enough data to link subjective psychedelic experiences to different varieties. especially with factors such as set and setting also playing a crucial role. But, one factor that does seem to be justifie by evidence is Penis Envy’s increased potency. When looking at data gathered by Oakland Hyphae in their Psilocybin Cup. the average potency of Penis Envy varieties may be around 50 to 100 percent stronger. than your average Psilocybe cubensis variety.
Penis Envy Anatomical Difference courtesy of psilocybinchocolatebars.us
Penis Envy shows clear indications that this mushroom has been grown. developing characteristics that are unlikely to exist in nature. The caps on these mushrooms (responsible for distributing the spores) open, remaining close to the stem. Many of the mushrooms also produce few or no spores, a characteristic that would cause them to die out in the wild.
Penis Envy Shrooms Variations and Hybrids
When searching online, it’s clear that Penis Envy is one of the best-selling varieties in many spore vendors’ catalogs. with many dedicated cultivators creating many sub-varieties and hybrids in recent years. Here’s a quick rundown of three of the more popular descendants:
Albino Penis Envy
The Albino Penis Envy or APE for short is a hybrid of penis envy mushrooms and PF Albino varieties of Psilocybe cubensis. Lacking the golden-colored caps observed in other strains. the caps of APE are white with bluish tones, which turn to a beautiful silver blue when dried. When it comes to growing APE don’t expect huge yields, as this strain is a little temperamental to grow . Though some claim this mushroom to be stronger than the original Penis Envy. there’s currently little data to back this up.
Penis Envy mushroom varieties: Albino Penis Envy (left) and Penis Envy Uncut (right)
Melmac, also known as Homestead
Melmac is reporte to be the original variety isolated by Rich Gee while he was working for Homestead Mushrooms. These mushrooms were often sold with their grow kits before the company went out of business.
Penis Envy Uncut
Penis Envy Uncut magic mushrooms have a distinct physical feature which is that their caps do not open at all. even late in the mushroom’s maturity. Additionally, caps are darker than “regular” Penis Envy. They are also said to be the most potent of all the Penis Envy varieties.
How To Grow Penis Envy Mushrooms
One downside—and the only downside to Penis Envy mushrooms is that they are one of the most difficult cubensis varieties to cultivate. This is because of their physical characteristics. like the lack of a velum to hold in spores until the mushroom is mature. which results in ineffective sporulation—thus a cultivator would need quite a few. Penis Envy mushrooms to collect enough spores to produce a viable spore syringe.
Furthermore, due to the fact that this genetic line has been selecte, and would not have survived in nature. Penis Envy mushrooms are also less resistant to contamination. They also take about 25 percent longer to colonize. have a pin rate that is about half that of other Psilocybe cubensis varieties. and need specialized conditions for the incubation stage. (the addition of a casing layer and a substrate with higher moisture content).
Apart from these characteristics—and any other Psilocybe cubensis variety. It is not particularly fussy and will grow on a variety of bulk substrates such as coir and manure. as well as grains such as rye, popcorn, and millet. Penis Envy will also grow in PF Tek jars or Uncle Ben’s rice bags.
Penis Envy Cultivation Terminology
As with any hobby or field of study, mushroom cultivation has its own vernacular. The majority of this vernacular is the same across most mushroom species. although different species feature distinct anatomical differences. The following terms and phrases are useful to know when cultivating mushrooms:
Penis Envy Pins
To start, there’s nothing special to say about Penis Envy pins. The term “pins” is not unique to Penis Envy mushrooms—it’s an abbreviation of the term “pinhead,”. which cultivators use to describe the small and earliest visible mushroom formations.
Penis Envy Blobs
One quirk of Penis Envy is its tendency to grow “blobs” instead of pinsas the mushrooms first begin to appear. Blobs are malforme bits of mushroom tissue. Blobbing tends to happen more in early flushes. Many growers have had success with using a casing layer to prevent blobs from emerging.
Penis Envy Spores
Penis Envy is unique as each mature mushroom cap produces very few spores. Although prints can made, these tend to be very faint resulting in weak spore syringes. Penis Envy spores are currently legal to sale for microscope purposes in many regions. But, as mentioned above. cultivation is only decriminalized in select locations.
When To Harvest Penis Envy
Like all Psilocybe cubensis varieties the best time to harvest Penis Envy is as theveil breaks. Though this done to prevent the mushroom caps from dropping spores all over your growing area. this may be less of a problem with Penis Envy which produces fewer spores than other varieties. As penis envy mushrooms also has a much smaller gill area than other Psilocybe cubensis so spotting when the veil is about to break might take a keen eye.
Penis Envy Mushroom Summary
penis envy mushrooms dried have a long and confused history. and there’s more to learn about this human-cultivated mutant mushroom. With its unique characteristics and popularity in penis envy mushroom spores communities. it’s definitely a mushroom that’s worth adding to your grow list. If you are locate in a decriminalized region and decide to consume these penis envy mushrooms. it’s important to remember they may be more quite potent. So, starting with a low dose and remaining mindful of set and setting can go a long way.