Panaeolus Castaneifolius
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''Panaeolus'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
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 fungal 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. It is a type of mushroom (or toadstool), ...
. The word ''Panaeolus'' is
Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...
for "all
variegated '' Cryptocarya williwilliana'' showing leaf venation and variegated leaves Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the foliage, flowers, and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants, granting a speckled, striped, or patch ...
", alluding to the spotted gills of the
mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...
s produced.


Characteristics

These fungi are mostly dung and
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
species, some of which are quite common in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. 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 (liquefy) as do the members of the related
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
''
Coprinellus ''Coprinellus'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Psathyrellaceae. The genus was circumscribed by the Finnish mycologist Petter Adolf Karsten in 1879. Most ''Coprinellus'' species were transferred from the once large genus '' Co ...
'' and ''
Coprinopsis ''Coprinopsis'' is a genus of mushrooms in the family (biology), family Psathyrellaceae.' ''Coprinopsis'' was split out of the genus ''Coprinus'' based on molecular phylogenetics, molecular data. The species ''Coprinopsis cinerea'' is a model org ...
''. Members of ''Panaeolus'' can also be mistaken for ''
Psathyrella ''Psathyrella'' is a large genus of about 400 species, and is similar to the genera ''Coprinellus'', ''Coprinopsis'', ''Coprinus'' and ''Panaeolus'', usually with a thin pileus (mycology), cap and white or yellowish white hollow stipe (mycology), ...
'', however the latter genus is usually found growing on wood or lignin-enriched soils and has brittle
stipes Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...
. 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 Panaeolina is a small genus of small mushrooms, containing only about four species. They are a subgroup of Panaeolus which have dark brown spores. The type species is Panaeolina foenisecii, a common lawn mushroom. Members of ''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 Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...
. Thirteen species of ''Panaeolus'' contain the hallucinogen
psilocybin Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...
including ''
Panaeolus cyanescens ''Panaeolus cyanescens'', commonly known as the blue-staining panaeolus, is a mushroom in the Bolbitiaceae family. It is a common psychoactive mushroom. Description The cap is across, dry, at first hemispheric, expanding to campanulate or c ...
'' and ''
Panaeolus cinctulus ''Panaeolus cinctulus'', syn. ''P. subbalteatus'', commonly known as the belted panaeolus, banded mottlegill, or , is a very common, widely distributed psilocybin mushroom. Etymology The descriptor ''subbalteatus'' comes from the Latin wor ...
''. 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 n ...
'', but are now universally classified in ''Panaeolus''. All members of this
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
contain
serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...
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 {{Authority control Agaricales genera Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries