Copelandia
Encyclopedia
Copelandia is a genus of mushrooms consisting of at least 12 species. Most Copelandia species have a long, thin fragile stem and are delicate, growing in grassland
s on dead moss
, dead grass, sand dunes, decayed wood, and dung
. They are found in the tropics
and neotropics of both hemispheres. The Copelandia genus is a subgenus
of Panaeolus created by Abbé Giacomo Bresadola (1847–1929) in honor of Edwin Bingham Copeland (1873–1964), an American who gathered fungi in the Philippines
and sent some collections to Bresadola. Many American mycologists place members of Panaeolus which stain blue into Copelandia, but many European mycologists use the genus Panaeolus instead. At the moment the species names of both genera are synonym
s.
Members of Copelandia are white to gray or tan, and the cap and stem stains blue due to the psilocin
content. The cap is never viscid and often develops a cracked appearance as it dries out. None of the mushrooms in Copelandia have a partial veil and the gills always have thick walled pseudocystidia, often with crystals at the ends. Chrysocystidia are never present.
All species of Copelandia are known to contain the hallucinogens psilocin
and psilocybin
. http://www.magic-mushrooms.net/World_Wide_Distribution_of_Magic_Mushrooms.pdf
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s on dead moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
, dead grass, sand dunes, decayed wood, and dung
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. They are found in the tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
and neotropics of both hemispheres. The Copelandia genus is a subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
of Panaeolus created by Abbé Giacomo Bresadola (1847–1929) in honor of Edwin Bingham Copeland (1873–1964), an American who gathered fungi in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and sent some collections to Bresadola. Many American mycologists place members of Panaeolus which stain blue into Copelandia, but many European mycologists use the genus Panaeolus instead. At the moment the species names of both genera are synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
s.
Members of Copelandia are white to gray or tan, and the cap and stem stains blue due to the 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...
content. The cap is never viscid and often develops a cracked appearance as it dries out. None of the mushrooms in Copelandia have a partial veil and the gills always have thick walled pseudocystidia, often with crystals at the ends. Chrysocystidia are never present.
All species of Copelandia are known to contain the hallucinogens 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...
and 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...
. http://www.magic-mushrooms.net/World_Wide_Distribution_of_Magic_Mushrooms.pdf
Species list
- C. affinis (E. Horak)
- C. bispora (Malençon & Bertault) SingerRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
- C. cambodginiensis (Ola'h & R. Heim) SingerRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
- C. chlorocystis SingerRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
& R.A. Weeks - C. cyanescensPanaeolus cyanescensPanaeolus cyanescens, also known as Copelandia cyanescens, is a mushroom in the Bolbitiaceae family. Panaeolus cyanescens contains psilocin, psilocybin and is similar to Panaeolus tropicalis.- Description :...
(BerkeleyMiles Joseph BerkeleyMiles Joseph Berkeley was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology....
& BroomeChristopher Edmund BroomeChristopher Edmund Broome was a British mycologist.-Background and education:C.E. Broome was born in Berkhamsted, the son of a solicitor. He was privately schooled in Kensington and in 1832 was sent to read for Holy Orders with the curate of Swaffham Prior in Cambridgeshire...
) SingerRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century.... - C. lentisporus (Ew. Gerhardt) GuzmánGastón GuzmánGastón Guzmán is a Mexican mycologist and anthropologist. He is considered the world's foremost authority on the genus Psilocybe.He was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, in 1932....
- C. mexicana GuzmánGastón GuzmánGastón Guzmán is a Mexican mycologist and anthropologist. He is considered the world's foremost authority on the genus Psilocybe.He was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, in 1932....
- C. tirunelveliensis Natarajan & Raman
- C. tropica Natarajan & Raman
- C. tropicalis (Ola'h) SingerRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
& R.A. Weeks