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 | 1.75–2.5 g | 0.61–0.88 g | 1.1–1.58 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 |