Psilocybin-containingHymenogastraceae
Psilocybe mexicana
Teonanacatl
Small grassland species of central Mexico with a long ethnobotanical history.
- Cap
- Conical to bell-shaped with an umbo, 0.5-3 cm, straw to brownish.
- Gills
- Adnexed, greyish to purple-brown.
- Stem
- 40-125 mm, slender, straw-coloured, bluing faintly.
- Flesh
- Blues slowly.
- Spore print
- Dark purple-brown
- Habitat
- Moist meadows, mossy ground and roadsides at 1000-1800 m.
- Distribution
- Central and southern Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica.
- Season
- May to October in the rainy season.
- Bruising
- Faint blue.
- Odour
- Farinaceous.
- Potency
- Moderate
Key features
- ▪Small conical cap with umbo
- ▪High-altitude Mexican meadows
- ▪Forms sclerotia (philosophers stones)
Field tests
- Spore print must be dark purple-brown
- Look for faint blue at the stem base
Edibility
Contains psilocybin.
Warning
Numerous small brown grassland mushrooms in the same meadows, including toxic Conocybe.
Photo and feature-based identification is probabilistic. Never consume a wild mushroom on the basis of an app result — confirm with an experienced mycologist.