Panaeolus africanus is a little brown mushroom which contains small amounts of the hallucinogen psilocybin

Psilocybin

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug, with mind-altering effects similar to those of LSD and mescaline, after it is converted to psilocin. The effects can include altered thinking processes, perceptual distortions, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences, as well as...

. It has been found in central Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and southern Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

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Description

This is a little brown mushroom that grows on hippopotamus and elephant dung and has black spores. The cap is up to 2 cm in diameter, gray, conic, and often with scaly cracks. It is viscid when moist and the flesh is grey to white. The gills are grayish when young and turn black with a mottled appearance as the spores mature. The stem is 4 cm long by 5 mm thick, and is pruinose at the top. The spores are black, rather variable, 13 x 9 µm

Micrometre

A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...

, and shaped like almonds. Macroscopically, this species resembles Panaeolus semiovatus var. phalaenarum

Panaeolus semiovatus var. phalaenarum

Panaeolus semiovatus var. phalaenarum is a common and widely distributed medium sized grey mushroom which grows on dung.Panaeolus semiovatus var. phalaenarum is often mistaken for Panaeolus semiovatus.-Taxonomy:...

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External links

• Mushroom John - Panaeolus africanus