Description

Cultivation Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Novelty (not edible)
Substrate: variety of woods , grain, and agar formulas
Colonization/Fruiting Temperatures: 65-80F/60-75F
Available In:Culture in slant or petri dish*

The mushroom that glows in the dark! After working with several species of bioluminescent fungi, we have selected Panellus stipticus for ease of cultivation and reliable glowing effects. The mycelium gives off relatively low levels of greenish light and is only visible in complete darkness after about 5 minutes of allowing your eyes to adjust. The cultures do not glow early in their growth and may take several weeks to begin producing visible amounts of light. The glow is dependent on available oxygen and dramatic and sudden increases in brightness can be achieved when cultures are exposed to the open air. The primordia, pins and mushrooms themselves glow very brightly and can be easily observed in less than complete darkness.

In nature, Pan. stipticus is found growing on logs and is shaped somewhat like a small leathery oyster mushroom.

The cultures are sold as a novelty only and do not produce edible or internally medicinal mushrooms. There is little information regarding the toxicity of this mushroom when eaten but it was reportedly used at one time externally to staunch bleeding.

The mycelium can be grown on a wide variety of wood, grains and agar formulas under a wide range of temperatures. Mushrooms grown on whole grains or grain flours typically do not develop normally and abort at a small size. Plug culture on logs or woodchip/sawdust blocks are recommended for observing normal fruiting.

Use this culture in our Supplemented Sawdust Blocks for an easy DYI glowing mushroom kit. Decently formed fruits are easy to obtain by removing the colonized substrate material from the bag and placing it in a humidity chamber or tent with increased air flow. Odds of fully developed fruits increases if you are able to keep colonized substrate block in an outdoor environment without drying or exposure to excessively cool/hot temps.

*Note: Culture supplied as living mycelium in a test tube slant or grown on sterile media in a petri dish. Culture can be stored under refrigeration for several months. Slants are best suited for long distance travel, international shipments, or long term culture storage. To ensure freshness of culture, slant requests are made to order, please allow 2-4 weeks for processing and shipment. Please choose between Slant or Petri Dish below.