About Liberty Cap Mushroom Mushrooms

Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as the liberty cap, is a species of fungus which produces the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and baeocystin. It is both one of the most widely distributed psilocybin mushrooms in nature, and one of the most potent. The mushrooms have a distinctive conical to bell-shaped cap, up to 2.5 cm (1.0 in) in diameter, with a small nipple-like protrusion on the top. They are yellow to brown, covered with radial grooves when moist, and fade to a lighter color as they mature. Their stipes tend to be slender and long, and the same color or slightly lighter than the cap. The gill attachment to the stipe is adnexed (narrowly attached), and they are initially cream-colored before tinting purple as the spores mature. The spores are dark purplish-brown in mass, ellipsoid in shape, and measure 10.5–15 by 6.5–8.5 micrometres.

The first recorded case of psychoactivity of the liberty cap was in London in 1799. A family had picked some mushrooms in a park for their food. After consuming the mushrooms, their pupils dilated, and they went into a state of delirium. For a long time, mycologists did not understand why psilocybe semilanceata had mind-altering effects when consumed. However, in 1960, mycologist Albert Hoffman established that the psilocybin components in the mushrooms were responsible. In the 1970s, liberty caps gained popularity as people started deliberately using them as a tripping substance. Read More : https://mushroomsite.com/2020/12/05/california-fungi-psilocybe-cyanescens/
Psilocybe Semilanceata: Liberty Cap Mushroom Identification and Information
Article by Bill Parker September 27, 2023