Psilocybe subaeruginosa is a psychedelic mushroom

Psychedelic mushroom

Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....

 of Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

, which has 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...

 and psilocin

Psilocin

Psilocin , an aromatic compound, sometimes also spelled psilocine, psilocyn, or psilotsin, is a psychedelic mushroom alkaloid. It is found in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated counterpart psilocybin...

 as main active compounds.

First reported in 1927, it is placed in the section Cyanescens, which includes Psilocybe cyanescens

Psilocybe cyanescens

Psilocybe cyanescens is a species of potent psychedelic mushroom. The main compounds responsible for its psychedelic effects are psilocybin and psilocin. It belongs to the family Strophariaceae...

and Psilocybe maire.

Studies of comparative morphology, isozyme

Isozyme

Isozymes are enzymes that differ in amino acid sequence but catalyze the same chemical reaction. These enzymes usually display different kinetic parameters Isozymes (also known as isoenzymes) are enzymes that differ in amino acid sequence but catalyze the same chemical reaction. These enzymes...

 analysis and mating compatibility approaches have showed that P. australiana, P. eucalypta and P. tasmania are synonyms of this species.

Description

• The cap is 1-6 cm in diameter, conical to convex, tan brown, hygrophanous
  Hygrophanous
  The adjective hygrophanous refers to the color change of mushroom tissue as it loses or absorbs water, which causes the pileipellis to become more transparent when wet and opaque when dry....
  
  , margin striate when moist, uplifting in age, and often with a slight umbo
  Umbo (mycology)
  thumb|right|[[Cantharellula umbonata]] has an umbo.thumb|right|The cap of [[Psilocybe makarorae]] is acutely papillate.An umbo is a raised area in the center of a mushroom cap. Caps that possess this feature are called umbonate. Umbos that are sharply pointed are called acute, while those that are...
  
  . It bruises bluish where damaged.
• The gills are crowded, cream color when young, violet brown in age, with adnate to adnexed attachment.
• The spores are dark violet brown, subellipsoid, and 14 x 7 µm.
• The stipe is 4.5 to 12 cm long, 0.2 to 0.4 cm thick, white, finely striate, and equal to slightly enlarged near the base. A white cortinate partial veil soon disappears and often leaves traces in the upper stem.
• The taste and odor are farinaceous.

Distribution and habitat

Psilocybe subaeruginosa grows in clusters in wood chips, piles of leaves and woody debris in urban areas, and along trails and roads in deciduous forests and gardens. It is common in Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 and Southern Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

; it is one of the more common Psilocybe mushrooms found in and around New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Alkaloid content

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...

 has been isolated from this species in 0.45% yield. In the same study, Psilocin

Psilocin

Psilocin , an aromatic compound, sometimes also spelled psilocine, psilocyn, or psilotsin, is a psychedelic mushroom alkaloid. It is found in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated counterpart psilocybin...

 was not detectable with the analytical methods used (chromatographic

Chromatography

Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....

 separation and UV spectroscopy), and was estimated to be present at less than 1% of the psilocybin content.