Psilocybe semilanceata
Description
These mushrooms are also known as “Liberty Caps” due to their large caps. They are known to be among the most potent psilocybin mushrooms. They also grow frequently in North America and throughout Europe.
These mushrooms usually grow in meadows and pastures, often in those grazed by sheep. However, unlike Psilocybe cubensis, psilocybe semilanceata do not grow directly out of dung.
Common names: Liberty Cap, Magic Mushroom.
Mushroom Identification
Cap
Ranging from 0.5 to 2cm in diameter, the cream-colored caps have striations that become more pronounced with age and in dry weather. The caps usually have a distinct pimple on the top.
Gills
The olive-gray free gills turn purple-black as the spores mature.
Stem
2 to 3mm in diameter and 4 to 10cm tall, the slender cream stem of Psilocybe semilanceata is fibrous, usually wavy and sometimes colored blue towards the base.
Spores
Ellipsoidal, smooth, 11.5-14.5 x 7-9μm.
Spore Print
Very dark purple-brown.
Odor and Taste
Musty odor.
Habitat & Ecological Role
This poisonous saprobic grassland mushroom is most often found on upland pastures, notably on hill slopes. Although sometimes seen on lawns and in lowland meadows it does not grow on dung.
Look-Alikes
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Usually larger and does not have a pointed cap.
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Very similar in color but is usually larger and does not have a pointed cap.
Psilocybe strictipes
Is a slender grassland species that is differentiated macroscopically from P. semilanceata by the lack of a prominent papilla.
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Commonly known as the "Mexican liberty cap", is also similar in appearance, but is found in manure-rich soil in subtropical grasslands in Mexico. It has somewhat smaller spores than P. semilanceata, typically 8–9.9 by 5.5–7.7 μm.
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Found in Thailand, where it grows in well-manured clay-like soils or among paddy fields. This mushroom can be distinguished from P. semilanceata by its smaller cap, up to 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter, and its rhomboid-shaped spores.
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Is physically similar to such a degree that it may be indistinguishable in the field. It differs from P. semilanceata by its smaller spores, measuring 9–13 by 5–7 μm.
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The toxic muscarine-containing species, a whitish mushroom with a silky cap, yellowish-brown to pale grayish gills, and a dull yellowish-brown spore print.
History
The species was first described by Elias Magnus Fries as Agaricus semilanceatus in his 1838 work Epicrisis Systematis Mycologici. Paul Kummer transferred it to Psilocybe in 1871 when he raised many of Fries's sub-groupings of Agaricus to the level of genus.
Panaeolus semilanceatus, named by Jakob Emanuel Lange in both 1936 and 1939 publications, is a synonym. According to the taxonomical database MycoBank, several taxa once considered varieties of P. semilanceata are synonymous with the species now known as Psilocybe strictipes: the caerulescens variety described by Pier Andrea Saccardo in 1887 (originally named Agaricus semilanceatus var. coerulescens by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke in 1881), the microspora variety described by Rolf Singer in 1969, and the obtusata variety described by Marcel Bon in 1985.
The Latin word for Phrygian cap is pileus, nowadays the technical name for what is commonly known as the "cap" of a fungal fruit body. In the 18th century, Phrygian caps were placed on Liberty poles, which resemble the stipe of the mushroom.
The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek psilos (ψιλός) 'smooth, bare' and Byzantine Greek kubê (κύβη) 'head'. The specific epithet comes from Latin semi 'half, somewhat' and lanceata, from lanceolatus 'spear-shaped'.
Several molecular studies published in the 2000s demonstrated that Psilocybe, as it was defined then, was polyphyletic. The studies supported the idea of dividing the genus into two clades, one consisting of the bluing, hallucinogenic species in the family Hymenogastraceae, and the other the non-bluing, non-hallucinogenic species in the family Strophariaceae. However, the generally accepted lectotype (a specimen later selected when the original author of a taxon name did not designate a type) of the genus as a whole was Psilocybe montana, which is a non-bluing, non-hallucinogenic species. If the non-bluing, non-hallucinogenic species in the study were to be segregated, it would have left the hallucinogenic clade without a valid name. To resolve this dilemma, several mycologists proposed in a 2005 publication to conserve the name Psilocybe, with P. semilanceata as the type. As they explained, conserving the name Psilocybe in this way would prevent nomenclatural changes to a well-known group of fungi, many species of which are "linked to archaeology, anthropology, religion, alternate life styles, forensic science, law enforcement, laws and regulation". Further, the name P. semilanceata had historically been accepted as the lectotype by many authors in the period 1938–68. The proposal to conserve the name Psilocybe, with P. semilanceata as the type was accepted unanimously by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in 2009.
Cultivation Tips
These mushrooms are known to feed on putrescent grassroots and like fertilized substrate. Mimicking or simulating these can be difficult.
Experienced fungi cultivators often say that it is impossible to do. Instead, they recommend searching for them in their natural habitat as it is easier. With their unique shape and size, they are relatively easy to distinguish compared to other mushrooms.
Full cultivation details for Psilocybe you can find in this PDF.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Lukas from London, England (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Arp (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Lukas from London, England (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo 5 - Author: Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner (CC BY-SA 2.0)