PSILOCYBE

Psilocybe is the genus that includes a type of gilled mushroom of the Hymenogastraceae family, best known for their psychoactive compounds: psilocin, psilocybin and beaocystin. Along with the Panaeolus (Copelandia), Psilocybe is considered a major psilocybin genus, with to date over 180 species, 100 of which thought to be psilocybin-producing, and more being discovered each year. In the fifties, the Psilocybe genus had 20 members, in a paper dated from 1998 and written by mycologists Gaston Guzman, John Allen and Jochen Gartz, the trio examines the world distribution of 216 known species of neurotropic fungi.
The genus name Psilocybe is a Greek amalgam translating to “bare-headed”, referring to the mushroom’s detachable pellicle which resembles a bald crown. When Hofmann isolated psilocybin and psilocin from a Psilocybe mexicana he named it in honour or the bare-headed species, considered to be the genus with the most psychoactive members. Psilocybe mushrooms are mostly small, brownish, conic-capped, slender-stalked, gilled mushrooms that fruit on or near dung, but can be found in wood litter, meadows, parks, moss, and under sparsely scattered trees. Some can be sturdy and meaty looking like Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe subcubensis, while others like the extremely potent yet so tiny P. semilanceata, P. azurescens have what is called by mushroom lovers the “little brown mushroom” morphology or LBM. Now, the world of mycology having been taken over by motivated cultivators, worldwide, we are seeing an explosion of diversity.
These Hybrid magic mushrooms come in all shapes and potencies. The most popular is the odd looking section are definitely Penis Envy, and Albino Penis Envy aka APE. Other cubensis hybrids that are amongst the most appreciated for their enlightening qualities are the Golden Teacher, the B+, and the very potent and loved  Hawaiian Blue Meanie aka Pan Cyan. 

Psilocybe magic mushroom species are very adaptative and found growing worldwide in a variety of habitats, the six classic ones being: grassland, dung deposits, riparian zones, disturbed habitats and gardens, woodland, moss lands, and burned lands.
The most common specie and mother to many hybrids is the subtropical Psilocybe cubensis. This specie is appreciated by cultivators for its resistance to contamination, its meaty fruiting and generous flushes.Its robustness has made it a favourite candidate when it comes to hybridization. Its most potent hybrid descendant is said to be Penis Envy and surely, many more are to come. Other Psilocybes that grow naturally and are quite fancied include: P. bohemica, Wavy Caps aka P. cyanescens, Panaeolus subbalteus, 
The mildest strains are said to be the Blue Ringer aka P. stuntzii, P. cyanofibrillosa, P. liniformans.
As it is often said in the world of mycology, mushrooms appear where mycologists go. Mushrooms, this bridge between life and death, these organisms that can heal or kill, deserve increasing attention. With some species yielding up to thousands of fruiting bodies in restricted spaces, with their gigantic mycelium network and their powerful mind altering substances, are a revolution we should keep touch with.