Reference
Compare species
Two or three species side by side, with potency shown as both a percentage and the dose that follows from it.
| Psilocybe cubensis | Psilocybe azurescens | Psilocybe semilanceata | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common names | Golden teacher, Cube, Gold cap, San Isidro | Flying saucer, Azzies, Blue angel | Liberty cap, Witch's hat, Spitzkegeliger Kahlkopf |
| Potency tier | Moderate | Extreme | Very high |
| Total alkaloids | 0.25–1.8% | 1.3–2.5% | 0.5–2.5% |
| Relative to cubensis | 1.00× | 2.86× | 1.59× |
| Common dose, dried | 1–2.5 g | 0.35–0.88 g | 0.63–1.58 g |
| Spore print | Dark purple-brown to purple-black | Dark purple-brown | Dark purple-brown |
| Bruising | Blue to blue-green, readily, within minutes | Strong, rapid, blue-black | Weak, often confined to the stem base, sometimes absent |
| Key character | A persistent white ring dusted dark purple-brown with fallen spores, on a stem that bruises blue. | A pronounced persistent umbo, the 'flying saucer' outline, on a tough stem rooted in wood chips near the Pacific coast, with no ring. | A sharply conical cap with a distinct nipple that never flattens, on a thin wavy stem, growing in grass, never on dung and never on wood. |
| Substrate | Cattle dung, Water buffalo dung, Well-manured pasture | Deciduous wood chips, Driftwood, Dune grass debris, Alder and cottonwood | Nutrient-rich grassland, Sheep and cattle pasture, Lawns and playing fields |
| Regions | Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Australia, India | Pacific Northwest of the United States, Coastal Oregon and Washington, Introduced to parts of northern Europe | Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, Northern and central Europe, Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, Chile |
| Season | Warm and wet months; year-round in the tropics | September to January, peaking after the first hard rains | Late August to November, after cool wet weather |
| Cultivation | beginner | intermediate | advanced |
| Look-alikes | 2 recorded | 1 recorded | 5 recorded |
Why this is a range. Alkaloid content varies up to fourfold between flushes of the same genetics, so no weight can be converted to an exact dose. With material you have not had before, the useful move is to go under and give it a full two hours before judging it.