This strain was first officially identified in 2007 by Gaston Guzman and Richard Gaines; also, Mr. Gaines purportedly got busted at Burning Man with these particular mushrooms. Additionally, this same Richard Gaines is rumored to have propagated ovoideocystidiata (commonly called Ovoid for short) on the west coast of the United States via wood chip landscaping.
After this initial inoculation by Richard, ovoideocystidiata took over and started spreading naturally. This Psilocybe variety grows wild in Europe now (having been found both in Germany and Switzerland) thanks to international spore trading (syringes and prints).
In the past, ovoideocystidiata has often been mistaken as Psilocybe caerulipes – in time, this led to both species sharing the nickname ‘Blue Foot Mushrooms.’ Only in 2007 were they separated into their proper scientific categories; caerulipes now goes by ‘True Blue’ with ovoideocystidiata going by the less-than-imaginative ‘ovoid.’
Specifications
Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata caps are dome-shaped and sometimes have an umbo/subumbonate (small nipple) and reach up to 45mm wide. Coloration typically ranges from pale yellow to orange-brown or chestnut, with some older fruits showing a blend of silver-grey with blue-green bruising. The average height for ovoids is about 90mm with a slight enlargement at the base of the stem; also, keep your senses on the lookout for a farinaceous (flour-like) smell with a touch of spice.
The Ohio River Valley is the most likely spot in the world to see P. ovoideocystidiata in its natural habitat. The best foraging seasons are between April to June (although they’ve been documented as late as November). However, ovoids seem to be very season-sensitive and will mostly fruit in the spring (very little fruiting happens at other times of the year, even in ideal weather conditions).
Consecutive days of heavy rain will offer the best chances, and take note that a hallmark of ovoids is their tendency to grow in massive clusters with at least 100 fruiting bodies. This isn’t to say they never grow solo, but it’s uncommon.
Like many cubensis, ovoids do have many lookalike species, such as:
The easiest way to determine if the species is ovoideocystidiata is by looking at the spores under a microscope; a rhomboid shape is very unusual for a Psilocybe spore shape and is quickly recognizable with the right equipment. In addition, while the spores are a rhombus during face view, they have a subellipsoid body from a side view (generally about 6×6 micrometers). If you don’t have a microscope, another primary differentiator is that ovoids often have a marked ring on the stipe.
Ovoideocystidiata is primarily native to the eastern US, stretching from Kentucky to Rhode Island, and grows mainly in woody debris like artificial mulch/wood chips. Ovoids prefer the shade and like to avoid direct sun exposure. Although the east is more associated with ovoideocystidiata spottings, there have been recent sightings in the west from Washington to Southern California (although it remains uncommon in this region).
As with any wild mushroom foraging, be very careful, and don’t hesitate to use resources like Reddit or the Shroomery to get identification assistance. As they say, all mushrooms are edible, but some only once.
Disclaimer
We sell premium spore syringes made in sterile laboratory environments containing trillions of spores per syringe, suspended inside a 10cc syringe in pharmaceutical-grade distilled water (for research purposes only). All our syringes are made in a negative-pressure HEPA-filtered clean room. Cultivation of cubensis mushrooms is illegal in the United States of America. Psilocybin mushroom spores are legal in 47 of the 50 states, excluding California, Georgia, and Idaho.
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