Magic Mushroom

Psilocybe cubensis

Summary 4

Psilocybe cubensis is a species of psychedelic mushroom whose principal active compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. Commonly called shrooms, magic mushrooms, golden tops, cubes, or gold caps, it belongs to the Hymenogastraceae family of fungi and was previously known as Stropharia cubensis. It is the most well known psilocybin mushroom due to its wide distribution and ease of cultivation.

Description 4

The cap is 1.6–8 cm (0.6–3.1 in), conic to convex with a central papilla when young, becoming broadly convex to plane with age, retaining a slight umbo sometimes surrounded by a ring-shaped depression. The cap surface is smooth and sticky, sometimes with white universal veil remnants attached. The cap is brown becoming paler to almost white at the margin, and fades to more golden-brown or yellowish with age. When bruised, all parts of the mushroom stain blue. The narrow grey gills are adnate to adnexed, sometimes seceding attachment, and darken to purplish-black and somewhat mottled with age. The gill edges remain whitish. The hollow white stipe is 4–15 cm (2–6 in) high by 0.4–1.4 cm (0.2–0.6 in) thick, becoming yellowish in age. The well-developed veil leaves a persistent white membranous ring whose surface usually becomes the same colour as the gills because of falling spores. The mushroom has no odor, and tastes farinaceous. The spores are 11.5–17.3 x 8–11.5 µm, subellipsoid, basidia 4-spored but sometimes 2- or 3-, pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia present.

The related species Psilocybe subcubensis—found in tropical regions—is indistinguishable but has smaller spores.

Distribution and habitat 4

Psilocybe cubensis is a pan-tropical species, occuring in the Gulf Coast states and southeastern United States, Mexico, in the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, the Caribbean countries Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guadalupe, Martinique, and Trinidad, in the South American countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, and Peru, Southeast Asia, including Thailand,Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, India, Australia (including Tasmania), New Zealand, Fiji, and possibly Nepal and Hawaii.

Psilocybe cubensis is found on cow (and occasionally horse) dung, sugar cane mulch or rich pasture soil, with mushrooms appearing from February to December in the northern hemisphere, and November to April in the southern hemisphere. In Asia, the species grows on water buffalo dung. Along with other fungi that grow on cow dung, P. cubensis is thought to have colonised Australia with the introduction of cattle there, 1800 of which were on the Australian mainland by 1803—having been transported there from the Cape of Good Hope, Kolkata and the American west coast. In Australia, it is found in southeast Queensland and Hobart, Tasmania.

In March 2018, several Psilocybe cubensis specimens were collected in Zimbabwe in the Wedza District of Mashonaland East province, approx. 120km south-east of Harare. This was the first reported occurrence of a psilocybin mushroom in Zimbabwe. The mushrooms were collected on Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation - a nature reserve that is home to both wildlife and cattle, as well as cattle egrets.

Summary 4

Psilocybe cubensis is a species of psychedelic mushroom whose principal active compounds are psilocybin and psilocin. Commonly called shrooms, magic mushrooms, golden halos, cubes, or gold caps, it belongs to the fungus family Hymenogastraceae and was previously known as Stropharia cubensis. It is the most well known psilocybin mushroom due to its wide distribution and ease of cultivation.

Fuentes y créditos

  1. (c) Alan Rockefeller, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cubensis_Xalapa.jpg
  2. (c) Juan Carlos Pérez Magaña, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), subido por Juan Carlos Pérez Magaña
  3. (c) Alan Rockefeller, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY), subido por Alan Rockefeller
  4. (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/1539738

Más información

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