NAME : PSILOCYBE MUSHROOM

GAELIC NAME : ? 

LATIN NAME : Psilocybe semilanceata

COMMON/FOLK NAMES : Liberties, Liberty Caps, Mushshrooms, Shrooms.

FAMILY : Agaricaceae.

PLACES OF ORIGIN : Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England & other places in Europe.

HABITAT : Can be found almost everywhere, in fields, on hillsides, on mountainsides, on golf courses, village greens, sports fields, and gardens. They prefer a south facing slope with wet soil.

DESCRIPTION: This fungi is known for its 'Breast or Tit' like shape. The mushroom has a crooked stem with a cone shaped cap, with a nipple in the middle. Grows in clumps sometimes hundreds per square meter. Is a brown colour when first out, fading to a yellow then to a Gold or golden yellow when dry. Life span is from 3 to 4 days with more coming up to replace those that die.

FLOWERING PERIOD : Can be found on mountain tops from the end of July if it has been a wet year. Will spread down into the low lands as the ground get wetter from August onwards. The mushroom will move down off the mountain side and hillsides into the low lands as the climate gets colder to go completely with the first frost. Around the middle of October. Can sometime continue to be found in low-land areas  up until the middle of November if it is a mild Autumn. 

When picking, the stem should be cut so as the removal of the root does not take place. All the fungi in an area are a few oraginisms which is mainly the root systems and damage can cause the death of the root system and therfore the loss of the fungi over a large area.

PROPERTIES : Stimulant, Mind Expander

There are many extremely deadly species which can appear very similar to non-toxic species.

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 Last Updated - August 3, 2023

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