Psilocybe stuntzii
Encyclopedia
Psilocybe stuntzii, also known as Stuntz's Blue legs and Blue Ringers it is a psilocybin mushroom
of the Strophariaceae
family, having psilocybin
and
psilocin
as main active compounds.
It is in the section Stuntzae, other members of the section include Psilocybe caeruleoannulata
, Psilocybe meridionalis
, Psilocybe mescaleroensis
, Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata
, Psilocybe rostrata
, Psilocybe subaeruginascens
, Psilocybe subaeruginascens var. septentrionbalis and Psilocybe uruguayensis
.
. It was originally identified growing on the University of Washington campus . Also known as Psilocybe pugetensis.
. From late July through December,
has been observed growing all year long in the Seattle, Washington
area, also reported from California
, rarely as far south as Santa Cruz
.
There was a time when this mushroom appeared in over 40 percent of all new lawns and mulched in areas in the Puget Sound
region of the Pacific Northwest. Due to a disappearance of pastures south of Seattle in the Tukwilla-Kent-Auburn areas, this mushroom now only appears sporadically in certain new lawns which are well fertilized and manicured.
, and several poisonings have been attributed to collectors consuming G. marginata after mistaking them for hallucinogenic P. stuntzii.
Psilocybin 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 the Strophariaceae
Strophariaceae
The Strophariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. The family contains 18 genera and 1316 species. The species of Strophariaceae have a red-brown to dark brown spore print, while the spores themselves are smooth and have an apical germ pore. These agarics are also characterized by...
family, having 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.
It is in the section Stuntzae, other members of the section include Psilocybe caeruleoannulata
Psilocybe caeruleoannulata
Psilocybe caeruleoannulata is a species of mushroom in the Strophariaceae family....
, Psilocybe meridionalis
Psilocybe meridionalis
Psilocybe meridionalis is a psychedelic mushroom which has psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. This mushroom is closely related to Psilocybe stuntzii but can be distinguished by its smaller spores and the presence of pleurocystidia. This is the only species of Psilocybe from...
, Psilocybe mescaleroensis
Psilocybe mescaleroensis
Psilocybe mescaleroensis is a psychedelic mushroom which has psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. This mushroom is closely related to Psilocybe stuntzii...
, Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata
Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata
Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata is a psilocybin mushroom in the section Stuntzae, having psilocybin and/or psilocin as main active compounds. It is closely related to P. subaeruginascens from Java, P. septentrionalis from Japan, and P. wayanadensis from India.This mushroom was first documented by...
, Psilocybe rostrata
Psilocybe rostrata
Psilocybe rostrata is a species of mushroom in the Strophariaceae family....
, Psilocybe subaeruginascens
Psilocybe subaeruginascens
Psilocybe subaeruginascens is a psychedelic mushroom which has psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. This mushroom is closely related to Psilocybe subfimetaria and Psilocybe stuntzii.- Description :...
, Psilocybe subaeruginascens var. septentrionbalis and Psilocybe uruguayensis
Psilocybe uruguayensis
Psilocybe uruguayensis is a species of mushroom in the Strophariaceae family. The mushroom contains the medicinal compound psilocybin....
.
Etymology and history
The mushroom is named in honor of mycologist Daniel Stuntz of the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. It was originally identified growing on the University of Washington campus . Also known as Psilocybe pugetensis.
Description
- The pileusPileus (mycology)The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
is (.5)1 — 2(3.5) cm, obtusely conic to convex, expanding to convex-umbonate or flat with age. The margin is translucent-striate when moist and uplifted in age. It is hygrophanousHygrophanousThe 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....
, glabrous, dark chestnut brown while lighter towards the center. The pileus is olive-greenish at times, fading to a pale yellowish brown or pale yellow. It is viscid when moist from a gelatinous pelliclePelliclePellicle may refer to:*Pellicle , a thin layer supporting the cell membrane in various protozoa*Pellicle mirror, a thin plastic membrane which may be used as a beam splitter or protective cover in optical systems...
, staining slightly greenish-blue when injured or with age. - The gills are adnateAdnationAdnation in plants is the "union of unlike parts; organically united or fused with another dissimilar part, e.g. an ovary to a calyx tube, or stamens to petals". This is in contrast to connation, the fusion of similar organs....
or sinuate or adnexed, close to sub-distant and moderately broad, yellowish brown at first, soon violet brown or chocolate brown to blackish violet, and uniform or somewhat mottled, with whitish edges. - The spores are (8.2)9.3 — 10.4(13.5) X 6 — 7.1(7.7) x 5.5 — 6.6 µm, subrhomboid in face view, subellipsoid in side view, with a hilar appendage visible and a truncate apex with a broad germ pore, thick walled, and dingy yellow brown.
- The stipeStipe (mycology)thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
is (2)3.5 — 6.5(7.5) cm x (1.5)2 — 4(6) mm, equal or slightly enlarged at the base, cylindric or subcylindric, twisted striate at times, flexuous, glabrous to slightly fibrillose, dry, stuffed with a pith and becoming hollow, and white or whitish silky to ochraceous or brownish fibrillose. The partial veil thinly membranous, leaving a fragile annulus that becomes more noticeable as it darkens with spores. It stains blue-green when injured. The spore printSpore printthumb|300px|right|Making a spore print of the mushroom Volvariella volvacea shown in composite: mushroom cap laid on white and dark paper; cap removed after 24 hours showing pinkish-tan spore print...
is dark violacous brown. - The taste and odor of Psilocybe stuntzii are farinaceous.
- Microscopic features: The basidia are 16.5 — 33 x 5.5 — 8.8 µm, 4-spored, and hyaline. Pleurocystidia are absent and cheilocystidia are 22 — 30 x 4.4 — 6.6 µm, abundant, forming a sterile band, hyalineHyalineThe term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
, lageniform, fusiform-lanceolate or fusoid-ampullaceous, with an elongate and flexuous neck, and are 1 — 2.2 µm in diameter, sometimes irregularly branched. Clamp connections are present.
Habitat and distribution
Psilocybe stuntzii is found growing scattered to gregarious to cespitose, rarely solitary, in conifer wood chips and bark mulch, in soils rich in woody debris, and in new lawns of freshly laid sod or any newly mulched garden throughout the western region of the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. From late July through December,
has been observed growing all year long in the Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
area, also reported from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, rarely as far south as Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
.
There was a time when this mushroom appeared in over 40 percent of all new lawns and mulched in areas in the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
region of the Pacific Northwest. Due to a disappearance of pastures south of Seattle in the Tukwilla-Kent-Auburn areas, this mushroom now only appears sporadically in certain new lawns which are well fertilized and manicured.
Edibility
This mushroom is hallucinogenic and is therefore considered inedible. Additionally, it closely resembles the highly toxic Galerina marginataGalerina marginata
Galerina marginata is a species of poisonous fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae of the order Agaricales. Prior to 2001, the species G. autumnalis, G. oregonensis, G. unicolor, and G. venenata were thought to be separate due to differences in habitat and the viscidity of their...
, and several poisonings have been attributed to collectors consuming G. marginata after mistaking them for hallucinogenic P. stuntzii.