Panaeolina foenisecii
Lawn mower's mushroom · Brown hay cap
Harmless, ubiquitous, and behind a large share of 'I ate them and nothing happened'. Worth learning so you stop picking it, and because if you mistook this for a Psilocybe, your ID method has a hole in it, and the next thing in that hole could be Galerina.
What it does
- Toxin
- None of consequence. Older reports of psilocybin content have not been reproduced.
- Time to symptoms
- Not applicable.
- Outcome
- Nothing. It is the most common lawn mushroom in the temperate world and it is the most common thing beginners bring home believing it is active.
Decisive characters
Each of these settles the question on its own. If one says no, the answer is no, regardless of what everything else says.
Spore print
Psilocybin speciesPurple-brown (Psilocybe) or jet black (Panaeolus)
Look-alikeDark brown with a reddish tone, neither purple nor black
Bruising
Psilocybin speciesBlue in active species
Look-alikeNone
Supporting characters
Useful corroboration. Not sufficient alone.
Cap
Psilocybin speciesHygrophanous, smooth
Look-alikeDull brown, drying in concentric zones, minutely velvety when fresh