Psilocybe semilanceata

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Psilocybe semilanceata

9 November 2008 West Sussex. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Common Name

Liberty Cap, Magic Mushroom

Cap

Conical with a sharply pointed tip and an inturned margin, sticky and dark brown when damp, smooth and pale brown when dry, to about 1.5 cm across

Hymenium

NULL

Gills

Adnate, somewhat distant, pale brown then dark purple brown with a white edge

Stem

Equal, whitish, sometimes bluish at the base, to about 8 cm high

Flesh

Whitish

Smell

Indistinct

Taste

Indistinct

Season

Autumn

Distribution

Common

Habitat

Grassland, and lawns including cricket pitches and school playgrounds

Spore Print

Purple brown

Microscopic Features

Spores ellipsoidal, smooth (11.5-14.5) x (7-9) µm2

Edibility

Poisonous, causing disorientation, and auditory and visual hallucinations which last for eight hours or more

Notes

In the UK this fungus is categorised as a class A drug alongside Heroine and Cocaine. Possession is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 7 years in prison. Dealing carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.