Quick answer: The Tidal Wave APE strain, usually written TW/APE, is a cross of two Psilocybe cubensis lines: Tidal Wave, a B+ × Penis Envy cross most often dated to 2017, and Albino Penis Envy (APE). Who made the cross, and when, has never been documented. It is described as a pale, thick-stemmed mushroom with dense, wavy caps, which fits its parents.
Spores are legal to buy for microscopy in 46 states. Germinating them is not, which is why nothing on this page is about cultivation.
Looking for Tidal Wave x APE spores?
Our Tidal Wave x APE spore syringe is a 10 cc syringe, and it ships the same business day. Orders over $100 ship free, and our spore syringe packs save you up to 40%.
Intended use. Our TW/APE spore syringes are sold for microscopy, taxonomy and educational use only. This guide covers the strain’s lineage, its history and what the mushroom and its spores look like. It does not cover cultivation, effects, potency or dosing, and we do not answer questions about them.
In this guide
- What the Tidal Wave APE strain is
- The Tidal Wave parent
- The Albino Penis Envy parent
- History of the cross
- What the mushroom looks like
- What TW/APE spores look like
- Tidal Wave vs. APE vs. TW/APE
- Legal status of TW/APE spores
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What the Tidal Wave APE strain is
TW/APE is a strain name, not a species. Like every strain in a spore catalog, it is Psilocybe cubensis. The name records its two parents: Tidal Wave, which is itself a cross, and Albino Penis Envy. That means TW/APE is built on three older lines, B+, Penis Envy and the albino line behind APE. You will also see it written TWAPE, TW x APE or Tidal Wave APE.
Much of what is written about the Tidal Wave APE strain online is marketing about its effects, and that is not what this guide is for. For a collector the lineage is the interesting part. It combines a Penis Envy body plan that shows up on both sides of the family with the albinism of APE, and its thin history is typical of newer names built by crossing older ones.
The Tidal Wave parent
Tidal Wave is a cross of B+ and Penis Envy. Its history is better documented than most. DoubleBlind magazine and a spore vendor’s strain glossary both credit Doma Nunzio of Magic Myco and date the work to 2017. Shroomok, a community strain database, also credits Magic Myco but gives 2021 as the year. The sources disagree on the date, and the 2017 date has more support; our B+ guide describes it as a late-2010s cross.
Tidal Wave caps are golden brown, and the stems are thick, which is the Penis Envy side showing through. Its spores are ordinary pigmented cubensis spores, dark purple-brown and subellipsoid. Numbered selections of Tidal Wave also circulate, such as TW2.
The Albino Penis Envy parent
Albino Penis Envy is the albino line of Penis Envy. It was bred by John Workman, a breeder who crossed Penis Envy with PF Albino, an albino line that circulated in the 1990s. His forum posts show the work under way in early 2006, and he posted “APE 1.0” in December 2007. It keeps the Penis Envy shape, a thick, dense stem under a small cap that stays closed or half-open, in white to ivory with bluish tones. Its spores are sparse and carry little pigment, so they are nearly transparent. Our Albino Penis Envy guide covers its history in detail.
APE is also a parent of other named crosses that bring its albinism into other lines, including Koh Samui × APE (KSAP) and Jack Frost, a cross of True Albino Teacher with APE.
History of the cross
We found no breeder who claims TW/APE. Full Canopy Genetics, a Colorado breeder that sells its own TW/APE culture, says the exact origin of the cross remains unknown. The other listings we checked name no breeder either, and none gives a date.
What can be said is the order of events. TW/APE can only date from after Tidal Wave itself, which most sources place in 2017, and it is widely sold in the United States today. Beyond that, the history is blank. A 2025 review in the Journal of Fungi noted that nearly all knowledge about named cubensis strains comes from community reports, and TW/APE is a clear example. A 2023 genome study in Current Biology added a second caution: strains sold under the same name by different U.S. vendors were often not genetically the same, so two syringes labeled TW/APE may not hold the same line.
What the mushroom looks like
Descriptions of TW/APE are short, and they mostly match what you would expect from its parents.
- Color: usually described as pale, which is the APE influence.
- Stem: thick and dense, the Penis Envy trait that both Tidal Wave and APE carry.
- Cap: dense, with wavy edges like those on Tidal Wave.
- Bruising: blue where handled, a trait shared across the species and easy to see on pale flesh.
No source documents whether the line is fully albino or only reduced in pigment. Those two words mean different things, as our guide to albino and leucistic mushrooms explains, and for this strain nobody has shown which one fits.
What TW/APE spores look like
This is where the sources disagree most, and neither side has a second account behind it. One listing describes very low spore production and nearly transparent spores, which is what you would expect from an APE descendant. Another describes heavy spore production that sets it apart from APE. We cannot tell you which is right, and different lines sold under the name may behave differently.
In shape and size, TW/APE spores are ordinary cubensis spores: smooth, thick-walled and subellipsoid, with a germ pore at one end, about 11–17 by 7–11 micrometers. If they carry little pigment, as the APE side suggests, they will be hard to see in the barrel and on the slide, and a syringe can look clear even when spores are present. Our guide to how many spores are in a spore syringe explains why pale spores make a syringe look empty.
Tidal Wave vs. APE vs. TW/APE
| Tidal Wave | Albino Penis Envy | TW/APE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Psilocybe cubensis | Psilocybe cubensis | Psilocybe cubensis |
| Parents | B+ × Penis Envy | Reported Penis Envy × PF Albino | Tidal Wave × APE |
| Origin | Credited to Magic Myco; most sources say 2017 | Bred by John Workman, 2006–2007 | Unknown breeder and date |
| Fruit body | Golden brown caps, thick stems | White to ivory with blue tones, thick stem, small closed cap | Usually pale, thick stems, dense wavy caps |
| Spores | Dark purple-brown | Nearly transparent, sparse | Sources disagree |
Legal status of TW/APE spores
TW/APE spores contain no psilocybin or psilocin, so under federal law and the law of 46 states they are not a controlled substance; the DEA confirmed the federal position in writing in January 2024. California and Florida restrict spores, Georgia and Idaho ban them, and we do not ship Psilocybe spores to those four states. Germinating spores is illegal under federal law everywhere. Our state-by-state legal guide has every statute.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Tidal Wave APE strain?
It is a Psilocybe cubensis strain made by crossing Tidal Wave, itself a B+ × Penis Envy cross, with Albino Penis Envy. It is usually written TW/APE.
Who created TW/APE?
Nobody knows. The breeders who sell it say the origin of the cross is unknown, and no name or date has been published.
Who created Tidal Wave?
Tidal Wave is credited to Doma Nunzio of Magic Myco. Most sources date it to 2017, and one strain database gives 2021.
Is TW/APE an albino strain?
It is usually described as pale because of its APE parent, but no source documents whether it is fully albino. Descriptions of its spores also conflict.
How is TW/APE different from Tidal Wave?
Tidal Wave is a pigmented mushroom with golden brown caps and dark purple-brown spores. TW/APE adds APE’s albinism, so it is described as pale, and its spores may carry little pigment.
Are TW/APE spores legal?
Yes, for microscopy, in 46 states. They are not legal in California, Florida, Georgia or Idaho, and we do not ship to those states.
Do you sell TW/APE spores?
Yes. Our TW/APE spore syringe is a 10 cc syringe, with a sterile needle and a 30-day warranty, sold for microscopy and taxonomy use only. We also carry the Albino Penis Envy and B+ parent lines. For a look at the Penis Envy family side by side, see our guide to Penis Envy vs. Albino Penis Envy.
Sources
- Brand D.S., “Tidal Wave Mushrooms” (DoubleBlind Magazine, July 25, 2023; updated December 10, 2024). doubleblindmag.com (on Doma Nunzio, Magic Myco, the 2017 date, the B+ × Penis Envy parentage and the appearance).
- Shroomok strain database, Tidal Wave entry (not linked), which credits Magic Myco, gives 2021, and lists numbered selections including TW2.
- Busby M., “The Origins of Albino Penis Envy, According to the Man Who Created It” (DoubleBlind Magazine, August 1, 2024; updated August 7, 2024), interview with John Workman on his Penis Envy × PF Albino cross. doubleblindmag.com
- Shroomery forum archive (not linked): thread #5194890, “PF Albino and Penis Envy Cross Breeding,” started by Workman on January 18, 2006, with his follow-up posts that day on recessive traits; thread #7777258, “Albino Penis Envy APE 1.0,” started by Workman on December 19, 2007.
- Mandrake K., “Penis Envy Mushrooms: The Origin Story” (DoubleBlind Magazine, February 22, 2021; updated March 27, 2024), on APE’s reported Penis Envy × PF Albino parentage. doubleblindmag.com
- Kurzbaum E. et al. (2025). “Exploring Psilocybe cubensis Strains.” Journal of Fungi 11(2):99. PMC11856550
- McTaggart A.R. et al. (2023). “Domestication through clandestine cultivation constrained genetic diversity in magic mushrooms relative to naturalized populations.” Current Biology. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.059
- DEA Diversion Control Division letter on the status of spores (January 2, 2024). PDF
Tidal Wave x APE spore syringe
Our Tidal Wave x APE spore syringe is a 10 cc syringe filled in our ISO-7 cleanroom, with a sterile needle included. Orders placed by 1 p.m. Eastern on a weekday ship the same day, to the 46 states where spores are legal. You get free shipping on orders over $100, up to 40% off with our 3-, 5- and 10-packs, and a 30-day warranty. It is sold for microscopy and taxonomy use only.
