Psilocybin-containingHymenogastraceaeMexicoCentral AmericaSouth America
Psilocybe hoogshagenii
Little bird of the woods
Small Mexican woodland species with a long drawn-out nipple on the cap, used ceremonially as "pajaritos".
Regional status: Native to Latin America
- Cap
- Conical to bell-shaped, 10–30 mm, with a distinct elongated papilla; reddish brown drying straw.
- Gills
- Adnate, pale brown then violaceous brown.
- Stem
- 50–90 mm, slender, whitish to brownish, blueing.
- Flesh
- Thin, blueing.
- Spore print
- Dark purple-brown
- Habitat
- Rich humus and clay soil in subtropical coffee plantations and mixed woodland.
- Distribution
- Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina.
- Season
- June – October
- Bruising
- Blue on stem and cap where damaged.
- Odour
- Farinaceous
- Potency
- Strong
Key features
- ▪Long pointed papilla on a small cap
- ▪Slender flexuous stem
- ▪Blues readily
Field tests
- Take a spore print: purple-brown, never rusty
- Handle the stem to check for blueing
Edibility
Psilocybin-containing; not a food species.
Warning
Small brown woodland mushrooms include deadly Galerina and Pholiotina. Never judge by shape alone.
Photo and feature-based identification is probabilistic. Never consume a wild mushroom on the basis of an app result — confirm with an experienced mycologist.