Psilocybe semilanceata

Rare card · No. 28199

Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as the liberty cap, is a species of fungus which produces psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin. It is one of the most widely distributed psilocybin mushrooms in nature. The mushrooms have a distinctive conical to bell-shaped cap, up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, with a small nipple-like protrusion on the top. They are yellow to brown, covered with radial grooves when moist, and fade to a lighter color as they mature. Their stipes tend to be slender and long, and the same color or slightly lighter than the cap. The gill attachment to the stipe is adnexed (narrowly attached), and they are initially cream-colored before tinting purple to black as the spores mature. The spores are dark purplish-brown en masse, ellipsoid in shape, and measure 10.5–15 by 6.5–8.5 μm. The mushroom grows in grassland habitats, especially wetter areas. Unlike P. cubensis, the fungus does not grow directly on dung; rather, it is a saprobic species that feeds off decaying grass...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Alan Rockefeller, CC BY-SA 3.0