Psilocybe subcaerulipes
🏷️ Description
Dive into the mystical world of Psilocybe subcaerulipes, a psychoactive mushroom that thrives in the forests of Japan. Known as "hikageshibiretake" (shadow numbness mushroom), this enigmatic fungus is celebrated for its fascinating features and historical significance. 🍄✨
💊 Bioactive Compounds & Effects:
Contains psilocybin and psilocin, hallucinogenic compounds known for inducing altered states of consciousness.
Research Potential: Shows promise in OCD treatment through its unique inhibition of marble-burying behavior in mice without affecting locomotor activity.
Warnings: Accidental ingestion can lead to euphoria, anxiety, or drowsiness. Overconsumption may cause stupor or amnesia.
🧠 A Glimpse Into History:
First described in 1958 by Japanese mycologist Tsuguo Hongo, Psilocybe subcaerulipes holds a special place in both mycology and medical research.
🔎 Identification
🧢 Cap:
Size: 0.79 to 1.18 inches (2 to 3 cm) when young, growing up to 0.98 to 1.97 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) at maturity.
Shape: Starts conic to campanulate, maturing to convex or subumbonate.
Texture & Color: Smooth, viscid when wet, and striate near the margins. Ochraceous to yellowish-brown, sometimes with olive tones. It fades to a light straw color when dry. Bruises dark blue when handled.
🍂 Gills:
Attachment: Adnate to sinuate.
Color Progression: Pale brownish → purplish brown → deep violet with matching edges.
🌿 Stem:
Size: 1.57 to 2.76 inches (4 to 7 cm) long, 3–5 mm thick, hollow, and slightly curved at the base.
Color & Texture: Whitish initially, later ochraceous or reddish-brown, especially near the base. Lower regions feature whitish fibrils.
Special Features: Partial veil cortinate but fragile, usually leaving no annular zone. Bluish bruising appears on injury.
🔬 Microscopic Features:
Spores: Dark purplish brown in spore prints, subellipsoid (side view) or nearly ovoid (face view), measuring 5.5–8.5 × 3.3–5.5 µm.
Basidia: Four-spored.
Cheilocystidia: Fusoid-ventricose with elongated necks (15–22 × 5–7.5 µm).
Pleurocystidia: Absent.
🌲 Habitat & Distribution:
Growth: Gregarious to cespitose on mossy or grassy soils in open forests. Often found under pines like Pinus densiflora.
Season: May–September.
Region: Endemic to Japan, particularly in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, with additional sightings in South Korea and Taiwan.
📜 Synonyms
Psilocybe argentipes K. Yokoy. (1976)
Psilocybe taiwanensis E. Horak, Guzmán & Desjardin (2010)
Psilocybe thaizapoteca Guzmán, Karunar. & Ram.-Guill. (2012)
Photo source: Simongeorg
