''Panaeolus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of small, black-spored,

saprotrophic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...

agarics An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

. The word ''Panaeolus'' is

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

for "all

variegated Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...

", alluding to the spotted gills of the

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 ...

s produced.

Characteristics

These fungi are mostly dung and

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

species, some of which are quite common in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and North America. The

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

of ''Panaeolus'' do not deliquesce as do the members of the related genera '' Coprinellus'' and '' Coprinopsis''. Members of ''Panaeolus'' can also be mistaken for '' Psathyrella'', however the latter genus is usually found growing on wood or lignin-enriched soils and has brittle stipes. The gills of these mushrooms are black or grey and have a spotty, speckled or cloudy appearance, caused by the way that the dark spores ripen together in tiny patches on the gill surface; different patches darken at different times. The spores are smooth. The closely related genus '' Panaeolina'' shares the spotted gills but they are dark brown (not black) and the spores are ornamented. This genus is sometimes treated as part of ''Panaeolus''. The spores are smooth or roughened, with a germ pore, and all species except for Panaeolus foenisecii have a jet black spore print.

Edibility

No members of ''Panaeolus'' are used for food, though some are used as a psychedelic drug. Thirteen species of ''Panaeolus'' contain the hallucinogen

psilocybin Psilocybin ( , ) is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound produced by more than 200 species of fungi. The most potent are members of the genus ''Psilocybe'', such as '' P. azurescens'', '' P. semilanceata'', and '' P.&nbs ...

including ''

Panaeolus cyanescens ''Panaeolus cyanescens'' is a mushroom in the Bolbitiaceae family. ''Panaeolus cyanescens'' is a common psychoactive mushroom and is similar to '' Panaeolus tropicalis''. Description *Cap: 1.5 – 4 cm across, dry, at first hemispheric, ...

'' and '' Panaeolus cinctulus''. The bluing hallucinogenic members of this genus were sometimes previously segregated into a separate (but now deprecated) genus, ''

Copelandia ''Copelandia'' is a now deprecated genus of mushrooms consisting of at least 12 species. Many American mycologists previously placed members of ''Panaeolus'' which stain blue into ''Copelandia'', whilst European mycologists generally used the na ...

'', but are now universally classified in ''Panaeolus''. Several members of this genus are known to contain

psilocin Psilocin (also known as 4-HO-DMT, 4-hydroxy DMT, psilocine, psilocyn, or psilotsin) is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a serotonergic psychedelic substance. It is present in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated cou ...

and

and it is suspected that a number of other members of this genus contain unidentified psychoactive compounds. All members of this

contain serotonin derivatives.

Notable species

References

External links

Key to Panaeolus in the Pacific Northwest

Panaeolus key by Ola'h that emphasizes microscopic features

Panaeolus - A Genus of Toadstools

A Worldwide Geographical Distribution of the Neurotropic Fungi
* Wikispecies - Panaeolus {{Taxonbar, from=Q2120832 Agaricales genera Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries