''Panaeolus lentisporus'' is a species of

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. Th ...

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

belonging to the genus

Panaeolus ''Panaeolus'' is a genus of small, black-spored, saprotrophic agarics. The word ''Panaeolus'' is Greek for "all variegated", alluding to the spotted gills of the mushrooms produced. Characteristics These fungi are mostly dung and grassland sp ...

, and classified under the family Bolbiteacea. It is native to

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and some parts of Asia. The fungus was first described by E. Gerhardt in 1996. It is very similar to '' Panaeolus affinis,'' and should not be confused with it.

Description

The fungal species lives on rotting wood, and has unique spores which distinguish it from '' P. affinis.'' The spores are flattened, and wider than they are long when observing them in face view. They are also darker than the spores of the other species similar to it. Otherwise the species present as almost identical.

Presence of psilocybin

''P. lentisporus'' contains a chemical compound called psilocybin, which is known to cause hallucination and distortion of reality when ingested. For this reason, this species of mushroom is often used as a

psychoactive drug A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior. ...

either for recreational or spiritual applications.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65059107 Psychedelic drugs Psychoactive fungi Bolbitiaceae Fungi described in 1996