Psilocybe subaeruginascens
🏷️ Description
Psilocybe subaeruginascens is a captivating mushroom renowned for its psychedelic properties, driven by the active compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Closely related to Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata, this species enchants with its distinctive appearance and unique ecological preferences. 🍄✨
🧢 Cap
The cap ranges from 0.39 to 2.36 inches (1 to 6 cm) in width and begins as conical to convex, often featuring a broad umbo. Its tan to brown surface is hygrophanous, fading to a dull yellow-orange as it dries, and the margin is striate when moist. When bruised, the cap reveals a bluish tint, a hallmark of many psychedelic mushrooms. 💙
🍂 Gills
The gills are crowded and sometimes fork, starting creamy in color and maturing to a violet-brown as spores develop. They attach broadly to the stem and often bruise bluish along the edges, adding to the mushroom’s unique character.
📏 Stem
The stem is 0.79 to 2.76 inches (2 to 7 cm) and 20–30 mm thick, with a white to gray, finely striate surface. At the base, it is slightly swollen and adorned with radiating white rhizomorphs, which bruise blue when touched. A well-developed partial veil leaves a persistent, membranous ring near the top of the stem that may also turn bluish when damaged.
🔬 Spores
Psilocybe subaeruginascens produces dark violet-brown spores that are rhomboid to subellipsoid in shape, measuring 7.5–12 x 6.5–8.5 μm. This spore structure is a key feature for identifying the species.
👃 Taste & Odor
The mushroom has a farinaceous taste and odor, reminiscent of fresh flour.
🌍 Distribution & Habitat
This species thrives gregariously or in dense cespitose clusters on wood chips, piles of leaves, and woody debris. It is often found in urban areas, along trails, and in gardens bordering deciduous forests, with occasional appearances in soil enriched with horse dung.
Fruiting Seasons:
Southern Japan & Java: April–July.
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: February–March.
Photo source: Auweia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
