Liberty Caps, Blue Legs, Pixie Caps, Witches Hats – Psilocybe semilanceata

Description

Known by numerous names, Blue Legs, Pixie Caps, Witches Hats—Psilocybe semilanceata is an unassuming innocent-looking mushroom, often happily growing next to many similar species, including Panaeolus spp. and Protostropharia semiglobata. Like Psilocybe cubensis, Liberty Caps grow in fields and pastures, but prefer the cold of temperate climates. Found growing in fall and spring, these delicate-looking, slender mushrooms are among the most potent Psilocybe species.

After Psilocybe cubensis, P. semilanceata is perhaps one of the best known of the Psilocybe genus. Most often referred to as “Liberty Caps,” this species has a fascinating history and is responsible for the first reported European magic mushroom trip in 1799. P. semilanceata became popular in Europe in the 1960s for its psychoactive properties after French botanist Roger Heim and Albert Hofmann identified it as containing psilocybin. In 2009, P. similanceata became the type species of the genus Psilocybe – the species that defines the genus – after a reassessment of both Deconica and Psilocybe. Psilocybe was nearly renamed, but due to the legal implications, the blue bruising species retained the name Psilocybe.

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