Amazon Spore Print

Meet the heavyweight — tall, broad-shouldered, and not remotely shy about it. Amazon is the strain for anyone who likes their mycology on a grand scale: vigorous, fast-colonising, and famous for throwing up genuinely enormous fruits on thick, sturdy stems. It's a confident performer that gets on with the job with very little coaxing, which has made it a long-standing favourite among enthusiasts who've graduated past their first few strains and want something with a bit more presence.

The name does what it says on the tin — the lineage traces back to the Amazon basin, and the strain wears that heritage in its stature. Caps come through in warm caramel and golden-brown tones, often paling towards the edges, and they'll happily open out flat and wide when left to their own devices. The spore print is a deep, dense purple-black: exactly the sort of generous deposit that makes life easy when there's a slide waiting.

Something to keep in mind: this one is enthusiastic. Amazon colonises quickly and fruits with real energy, so it doesn't tend to hang about the way a Golden Teacher does. It also likes room — the fruits get tall, and crowding them is a false economy. Give it space, and it repays you handsomely.

A little history: Amazon usually turns up with the "PES" prefix attached, which stands for Pacifica Exotica Spora, the outfit generally credited with distributing it. Beyond that, the trail gets pleasantly foggy. The romantic version has the lineage descending from spores collected in the Colombian Amazon during the McKenna brothers' famous 1971 expedition to La Chorrera — a story that's told often enough to feel true and documented rarely enough to stay a story. Whether or not the connection holds, the strain earned its own reputation the honest way: by being reliably, conspicuously impressive. Definitive records are elusive, which by now you'll recognise as something of a theme in this trade.

Storage: Keep your spores refrigerated, not frozen, from the moment you receive them. Pop them in the fridge straight away, and they’ll happily keep for a couple of months and, in perfect conditions, even for years.

Remember: All our products are sold for microscopy purposes ONLY; do not try to grow mushrooms with any of our products; that would be illegal and very naughty. While I have your attention on this matter, it is very surprising to learn how many naughty people there are out there. No judging, but I cannot answer any questions about growing mushrooms. It doesn’t matter if you live somewhere where growing is legal; I still won’t answer any questions – please don’t ask. However, if you do ask me naughty questions, I will unfortunately have to add you to my banned list, and you will be unable to enjoy any of my lovely products. I will also inform Santa about your naughty behaviour and ask him to put you on his naughty list – that’s now Christmas stuffed. So please, no naughty questions.

Don’t Forget:

• Keep them in a cool, dark place; about 5’c is nice

• Keep the product in a clean and tidy place

• Don’t let the product get hot

• Don’t let them freeze

• Don’t let them become dusty or dirty