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RE: The Amateur Mycologist - Parque Oncol, Mycena cyanocephala, and more.

in #steemstem7 years ago (edited)

So, I read an excerpt from Smith's North American Species of Mycena regarding a blue tinged north amaerican mushroom and, analogizing from that and my observations in Chile, wthe only thing that's totally clear is that a variety of fungal structures - including the mycelium leading to the the fruiting body, as well on cystidia on the cap of the mushroom, all bear microscopic elements of the color.

But I can't find right now any indication about what chemical process creates that color. I am guessing that it is a chemical process rather than a physical one like you sometimes get with chitin ir feathers and things, but I don't rightly know with any specificity.

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I wonder if it has an indole alkaloid or some chromophore distinct from psilocin/psilocybin. Since the blue color appears in intact cells (i.e.not after injury) there might be a new biosynthetic pathway, new enzymes, etc.

I think your instincts are right here. I found this research paper from 2007 behind a paywall, but the abstract talks about finding a new blue pigmented alkaloid in a different species of Mycena.

Searching Mycena interrupta or cyanocephala and alkaloids or pigments turns up nothing. More than likely that kind of chemical analysis hasn't been done, but I would not be at all surprised if you were correct abd that new alkaloid compounds were found.

Thanks for looking in to it!