Albino Penis Envy Mushrooms

P.cubensis[iii] is a small, often long-stemmed mushroom with a bluish ring that is often stained black by falling spores. The stem and cap both bruise blue. Wild-type caps are brownish, but APE caps are almost white. The species eats, and usually fruits from, the dung of large grazing animals—not from under dung (a habit other species have). The wild type grows freely in well-watered tropical and sub-tropical areas of almost every continent. Several look-alikes do share the same habitat, so it’s unwise for enthusiasts to go foraging on their own unless they have also developed some skill at mushroom identification.

It’s important to remember that noticing certain kinds of details is a learned skill. The brain discards details deemed unimportant, so until a person has studied mushrooms in an ongoing way for some time (thus teaching the brain that mushroom details are important) the difference between a useful species and its toxic look-alike might literally be invisible. Expertise is important.

Many users either buy or grow their supply, making identification less of an issue.