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Edibility
Toxic
Lookalike Danger
2 / 5
Habitat
🪵 Dead wood
Season
Aug – Nov
"Clusters on dead wood. Cap fades from purple-red to yellow with age, bitter to the taste. Some populations contain psilocybin alongside the bitter gymnopilins."
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.

Decomposing wood of unspecified species — substrate for many generalist saprobic mushrooms.
Clusters of bitter purple-red caps fading to yellow with age, on dead wood. Bitterness comes from gymnopilins (terpenoid sesquiterpenes). Some populations contain psilocybin in addition to the bitter compounds — variable by location and clade.
Dead wood (both hardwood and conifer) across the continental US. Fruits August through November.

Min Soil Temp
50°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–14,179 ft
Similar large gymnopilus, also variably psychoactive. Older cap; bitter.
Yellow scaly cap on wood; not psychoactive.
Dead wood
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.