What’s the difference between leucistic vs albino mushrooms?
There has been some confusion within the mycology community about the difference between leucistic and albino mushrooms. In this article, we will break down what makes the two different and provide examples of each.
Albino mushroom characteristics
Albinos are typically defined as organisms that exhibit deficient pigmentation. In mycology, albino mushrooms are completely lacking pigmentation which results in a white cap and clear, colorless spores. While some albino cubensis strains, like Albino Penis Envy (APE), can be observed with blue tinted caps, that is not related to pigmentation and is instead caused by the bluing reaction of psilocybin within the mushroom’s flesh. If you’re curious to learn more, check out our Albino Penis Envy mushrooms guide for detailed information on their unique traits.
Albino mushroom examples
Some examples of albino cubensis mushrooms include:
Albino Penis Envy (APE)
Avery’s Albino
True Albino Tex PE6
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True Albino Melmac (TAM)
Wombat Tat
Leucistic mushroom characteristics
Leucistic, which is pronounced luːˈkɪstɪk, is an adjective commonly used to describe animals that have reduced pigmentation in their skin but normal colored eyes. In mycology, leucistic mushrooms are mushrooms that lack pigment in the caps, making them appear white or off-white while still producing pigmented spores. Many leucistic strains have a faint yellow tint which is due to the partial pigmentation loss.
Leucistic mushroom examples
Some examples of leucistic cubensis mushrooms include:
AA+
Leucistic Burma
Leucistic Ecuador
Leucistic Golden Teacher
Leucistic JMF
Rusty White
Pigmentation loss
Many common cubensis strains that start out pigmented can produce albino or leucistic fruits. For example, Tosohatchee was originally found as a pigmented fruit but some researchers have observed Tosohatchee phenos that are leucistic. Similarly, Shakti is an albino variation of the pigmented Malabar cubensis strain.
Shakti
Strain misnomers
Some common mushroom strains have been misleadingly labeled as albino or white when in fact they are actually leucistic. Because of the overuse of the terms albino and white to describe leucistic strains, members of the community have begun to call real albino mushrooms “true albinos” such as True Albino Teacher (TAT) or True Albino Melmac (TAM). For growers interested in exploring these strains, Psilocybe spore syringes provide an easy way to get started with true albino cultivation.
True Albino Teacher (TAT) “Jack Frost”
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Conclusion
While the flesh of both albino and leucistic mushrooms appear white, the main difference between the two is that leucistic mushrooms have colored spores while albino mushrooms have clear, colorless spores.