Psilocybe alutacea

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Psilocybe alutacea
Psilocybe alutacea Y.S. Chang & A.K. Mills 874807.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hymenogastraceae
Genus: Psilocybe
Species:
P. alutacea
Binomial name
Psilocybe alutacea
Y.S. Chang & A.K. Mills

Psilocybe alutacea is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. [1] [2] It was described in 2006 and is known from Australia and New Zealand. It is coprophilous, growing on animal dung. The fruitbodies have a small conical or convex cap, subdistant gills with an adnate attachment, a slender brown stipe and a faint blueing reaction to damage. [3] As a blueing member of the genus Psilocybe it contains the psychoactive compounds psilocin and psilocybin.

Contents

Taxonomy and naming

Psilocybe alutacea was described by Y.S. Chang and A.K. Mills in 2006. The holotype was collected by Chang in 1990 in Tasmania and deposited at the herbarium in Hobart, with the accession number HO132672.

The species was placed in the Psilocybe section Semilanceatae according to Gúzman due to macroscopic and microscopic similarities with Psilocybe semilanceata ; notably a faint blueing reaction to damage, conical cap shape, adnate gill attachment and elipsoid-oval spores. [3]

Etymology

The alutacea epithet refers to the colour of tanned leather. It comes from high soft leather, tanned with alum. [3]

Description

Psilocybe alutacea
Information icon.svg
Gills icon.png Gills on hymenium
Conical cap icon.svgConvex cap icon.svg Cap is conical or convex
Adnate gills icon2.svg Hymenium is adnate
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
Spore print is purple-brown
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Psychoactive.pngEdibility is psychoactive

The cap is 10–13 mm in diameter, conical to convex in shape, somewhat sticky or tacky when moist, hygrophanous (abruptly changing colour from wet to dry), smooth, radially striate at the edge, coloured leathery brown to ochraceous brown. The gills are adnate, subsistent and greyish brown with white edges, sometimes unevenly coloured. The stipe is 25–46 mm x 1–2.5 mm, pale brown, cylindrical and stuffed. There is a blueing reaction to damage but it is faint and slow, only showing at the edges of the gills and occasionally on the stipe. The spore print is purple-brown. [3]

Microscopic characteristics

Spores measure 11.7-15.8 (-16.7) x 7.9-9.2 μm and are ellipsoid with a distinct germ pore. Basidia are 25.8 - 34.2 x 9.2-12.1 μm, 4-spored, transparent, clavate or obovate. Cheilocystidia measure 22.5-35.9 (-44.2) x 5 - 10 μm, are transparent with long necks of 6.7-15 μm, simple, bifurcate or trifurcate (one, two or three prongs or forks). Pleurocystidia are rare, measure 17.5-30.4 x 4.6 - 10 μm and are lageniform (shaped like a bottle or flask) with long necks. Subhymenium is subcellular. Trama regular, pale brown in 5% KOH, with hyphae measuring 3.3-15 μm. Epicutis is a layer of subgelatinised, encrusted hyphae with brown pigments, 2.5-5 μm broad. Clamp connections are present. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Present in Australia and New Zealand. In Tasmania collections were made at Snug Falls Track, Mount Field National Park (Pandanus Walk) and Kermandie Falls (Upper Track).

Psilocybe alutacea on dung. Psilocybe alutacea Y.S. Chang & A.K. Mills 643810 crop.jpg
Psilocybe alutacea on dung.

Found growing solitary to subgregarius on cow dung; also collected on horse and wombat dung. Sometimes in leaf litter or from soil in mossy areas. [3]

Similar species

Members of the Psilocybe section Semilanceatae, genetically similar species and small brown corprophilous fungi. Psilocybe semilanceata is more umbonate and grows in grasslands and paddocks from decaying grass roots, not on animal dung. Psilocybe fimetaria has a stipe that discolours yellow with handling or age, and is known from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada, Chile, Great Britain, and Europe.

Psilocybe liniformans has a convex to applanate cap, and is known from the Pacific Northwest and Chile. Psilocybe pelliculosa is closely related with a similar appearance. It occurs predominantly in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada, where it grows in litter in coniferous woods.

Psilocybe tasmaniana is similar in its original description, distribution and corprophilous habit but microscopic features differ; pleurocystidia in that species are reportedly abundant, and fusiod-ventricose, with short necks. Deconica corprophila and similar Deconica species are close lookalikes but with subdecurrent gills and no blueing reaction. Panaeolus species' spores are brown, greyish or black, not purple-brown. Protostropharia semiglobata has a slippery glutinous stipe when wet and no blueing reaction. [3]

See also

List of psilocybin mushrooms

Related Research Articles

<i>Psilocybe semilanceata</i> Species of fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae, native to Europe

Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as the liberty cap, is a species of fungus which produces the psychoactive compounds psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin. It is both one of the most widely distributed psilocybin mushrooms in nature, and one of the most potent. 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, and they are initially cream-colored before tinting purple to black as the spores mature. The spores are dark purplish-brown in mass, ellipsoid in shape, and measure 10.5–15 by 6.5–8.5 micrometres.

<i>Psilocybe quebecensis</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe quebecensis is a moderately active hallucinogenic mushroom in the section Aztecorum, having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. Native to Quebec, it is the most northern known psilocybin mushroom after Psilocybe semilanceata in northern Scandinavia. Macroscopically this mushroom somewhat resembles Psilocybe baeocystis.

<i>Psilocybe baeocystis</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe baeocystis is a psilocybin mushroom of the family Hymenogastraceae. It contains the hallucinogenic compounds psilocybin, psilocin and baeocystin. The species is commonly known by various names such as bottle caps, knobby tops, blue bells, olive caps.

<i>Psilocybe caerulipes</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe caerulipes, commonly known as blue-foot, is a rare psilocybin mushroom of the family Hymenogastraceae, having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. An older synonym is Agaricus caerulipes.

<i>Psilocybe aucklandiae</i> Species of fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae

Psilocybe aucklandiae is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. The species is known from the Auckland Region of New Zealand, where it grows from clay soils in exotic pine plantations and native forests. It is phylogenetically similar to or almost the same as Psilocybe zapotecorum from Mexico and South America. As a blueing member of the genus Psilocybe it contains the psychoactive compounds psilocin and psilocybin.

<i>Psilocybe subaeruginosa</i> Species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae

Psilocybe subaeruginosa is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae described in 1927 and known from Australia and New Zealand. As a blueing member of the genus Psilocybe it contains the psychoactive compounds psilocin and psilocybin.

Psilocybe subaeruginascens is a psychedelic mushroom which has psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. This mushroom is closely related to Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata.

<i>Psilocybe strictipes</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe strictipes is a mushroom that grows on grassy meadows and lawns; It is found throughout the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and it is most common in Europe, and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It contains the psychoactive compound psilocybin is closely related to Psilocybe semilanceata and Psilocybe pelliculosa. Psilocybe strictipes is commonly confused with Psilocybe semilanceata and can be differentiated by its lack of a papilla and a convex to subumbonate cap. "Strictipes" comes from the Latin words stricti (narrow) and pes (foot).

<i>Psilocybe fimetaria</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe fimetaria is a psilocybin mushroom, having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. It grows exclusively on horse and cow dung.

<i>Psilocybe caerulescens</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe caerulescens, also known as landslide mushroom, is a psilocybin mushroom having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. Along with Psilocybe mexicana and Psilocybe aztecorum, it is one of the mushrooms likely to have been used by the Aztecs and is currently used by Mazatec shamans for its entheogenic properties.

<i>Psilocybe mescaleroensis</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe mescaleroensis is a psychedelic mushroom which has psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. This mushroom is closely related to Psilocybe hopii and Psilocybe cyanescens. It was brought to scientific attention by Lee Walstad.

<i>Deconica montana</i> Species of fungus

Deconica montana, commonly known as the mountain moss Psilocybe, is a common species of mushroom that usually grows in mossy and montane regions around the world. The appearance is that of a typical "little brown mushroom" with a small, brown cap and a straight, thin stipe.

<i>Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa</i> Psilocybin mushroom

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, also known as rhododendron psilocybe and blue-haired psilocybe, is a psilocybin mushroom of the family Hymenogastraceae having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. First documented in 1980 in the Pacific Northwest, it is relatively uncommon and can be distinguished from other closely related species by its smaller spores and forking cheilocystidia. Psilocybe cyanescens also has forking cheilocystidia, but less often than Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa. Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa is also distinguished from Psilocybe cyanescens by an absence of pleurocystidia. The name of this species refers to the fibrils on the Stipe (mycology) that turn bluish in age, or when handled.

<i>Psilocybe hispanica</i> Species of fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae

Psilocybe hispanica is a species of fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. It produces small brown mushrooms with conical to convex caps up to 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter and stems 16 to 25 mm long by 0.5 to 1 mm thick. Reported as new to science in 2000, it is only known from the Pyrenees mountain range in northern Spain and southwestern France, where it grows on horse dung in grass fields at elevations of 1,700 to 2,300 m. The mushroom contains the psychoactive compound psilocybin. The possible depiction of this species in the 6,000-year-old Selva Pascuala rock art suggests that it might have been used in ancient religious rituals—the oldest evidence of such usage in prehistoric Europe.

<i>Psilocybe hoogshagenii</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe hoogshagenii is a species of psilocybin mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. The mushroom has a brownish conical or bell-shaped cap up to 3 cm (1.2 in) wide that has an extended papilla up to 4 mm long. The stem is slender and 5 to 9 cm long. The variety P. hoogshagenii var. convexa lacks the long papilla.

<i>Psilocybe makarorae</i> Species of fungus

Psilocybe makarorae is a species of psilocybin mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. Officially described as new to science in 1995, it is known only from New Zealand, where it grows on rotting wood and twigs of southern beeches. The fruit body (mushroom) has a brownish cap with lighter coloured margins, measuring up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) wide. The cap shape is either conical, bell-shaped, or flat depending on the age of the mushroom, and it features a prominent umbo. Although the whitish stem does not form a true ring, it retains remnants of the partial veil that covers and protects the gills of young fruit bodies. P. makarorae mushrooms can be distinguished from the similar North American species Psilocybe caerulipes by microscopic characteristics such as the presence of cystidia on the gill faces (pleurocystidia), and cheilocystidia with more elongated necks. Based on the bluing reaction to injury, P. makarorae is presumed to contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin.

Psilocybe tasmaniana is a species of coprophilous agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. It was described by Gastón Guzmán and Roy Watling in 1978 as a small tawny orange mushroom that grows on dung, with a slight blueing reaction to damage, known only from Tasmania and southeastern Australia. It was likened to Psilocybe subaeruginosa although characteristics, appearance, and the association with dung were not typical for that species. As a blueing member of the genus Psilocybe it contains the psychoactive compounds psilocin and psilocybin.

<i>Psilocybe yungensis</i> Psychedelic mushroom in the family Strophariaceae

Psilocybe yungensis is a species of psychedelic mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. In North America, it is found in northeast, central and southeastern Mexico. In South America, it has been recorded from Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador. It is also known from the Caribbean island Martinique, and China. The mushroom grows in clusters or groups on rotting wood. The fruit bodies have conical to bell-shaped reddish- to orangish-brown caps that are up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) in diameter, set atop slender stems 3 to 5 cm long. The mushrooms stain blue when bruised, indicative of the presence of the compound psilocybin. Psilocybe yungensis is used by Mazatec Indians in the Mexican State of Oaxaca for entheogenic purposes.

Deconica semiinconspicua is a mushroom native to the state of Washington in the United States. The mushroom is small, rare, difficult to see and, according to Guzmán and Trappe (2005), stains blue where damaged. However, Ramírez-Cruz et al. (2012) state that it is "without a really observable bluing reaction". It was described as a psychoactive species of Psilocybe in section Semilanceatae, but Ramírez-Cruz et al. (2012) found that its macroscopic and microscopic morphological features and its DNA sequence, which Ramírez-Cruz et al. did not publish, were a better match for Deconica. Ramírez-Cruz et al. (2012) also stated that it is very similar to Deconica montana. It can be mistaken for Psilocybe silvatica and can be distinguished by its more conic cap, narrower spores and narrower cheilocystidia.

<i>Psilocybe angulospora</i> Species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae

Psilocybe angulospora is a species of agaric fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae. The species was described from Taiwan in 2015 and is also present in New Zealand, where it is considered introduced. As a blueing member of the genus Psilocybe it contains the psychoactive compounds psilocin and psilocybin.

References

  1. "Psilocybe alutacea Y.S.Chang & A.K.Mills". www.gbif.org. GBIF . Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  2. Australia, Atlas of Living. "Species: Psilocybe alutacea". bie.ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia . Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chang, Y.S.; Gates, G.M.; Ratkowsky, D.A. (2006). "Some new species in the Strophariaceae (Agaricales) in Tasmania". Australasian Mycologist. 24 (3): 61–64.