biology

Panaeolus cinctulus

Panaeolus cinctulus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Panaeolus cinctulus rather than just read about it. In short: Panaeolus cinctulus, syn. P. subbalteatus, commonly known as the belted panaeolus, banded mottlegill, or subbs, is a very common, widely distributed psilocybin mushroom.

Key takeaways

Panaeolus cinctulus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Panaeolus cinctulus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Panaeolus cinctulus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Panaeolus cinctulus, syn. P. subbalteatus, commonly known as the belted panaeolus, banded mottlegill, or subbs, is a very common, widely distributed psilocybin mushroom.

Etymology The descriptor subbalteatus comes from the Latin words sub ('somewhat') and balteat ('girdled'), a reference to the dark outer band of the cap.

Description The cap is 1.5–6 centimetres (1⁄2–2+1⁄2 in) wide, hemispherical to convex when young to broadly umbonate or plane in age, smooth, hygrophanous, striking cinnamon-brown when moist, soot-black when wet which disappears as the mushroom completely dries out. The outer band is usually darker. The flesh is thin and brownish. The gills are close, adnate to adnexed, cream-colored when young, later mottled dingy brown then to soot-black. The gill edges are white and slightly fringed, but turn blackish when fully mature. The spore print is black. The stipe is 4–10 cm long, 1–10 mm thick, equal or tapered at the ends, reddish brown or covered by whitish powder, hollow, no veil remnants, longitudinally white-fibrillose, striate at the apex or twisting vertically down the entire length of the stipe. The stem base and mycelium occasionally stain blue. The taste is farinaceous (like flour) when fresh, saliferous (salty) when dried. The odor is slightly farinaceous.

Microscopic features The spores are 11–14 x 7.5–9.5 μm, smooth, elliptical to rhomboid in face view, thick-walled, elliptical in side view.

Similar species Morphologically, P. cinctulus can be easily confused with other species of psilocybin mushrooms. They have a resemblance to P. fimicola and prefer the same habitats, but the latter species has sulphidia on the gill faces. It can also resemble P. foenisecii and P. olivaceus.

Habitat and formation Panaeolus cinctulus is a cosmopolitan species that grows solitary to gregarious to cespitose (densely clumped) on compost piles, well-fertilized lawns and gardens, and, rarely, directly on horse dung. It grows from spring to fall, abundantly after rain. It can be found in many regions, including: Africa (South Africa), Austria, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guadeloupe, Estonia, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, New Guinea, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Romania , Slovenia, South America (Argentina, Chile, Brazil) and the United States (common in Oregon, Alaska, Washington, and both northern and southern California, but known to occur in all 50 states). According to American mycologist David Arora, P. cinctulus is the most common psilocybin mushroom in California. It has also been sighted in Melbourne, Australia, Central Queensland, Australia Belgium and the Czech Republic.

Legality

The legal status of psilocybin mushrooms varies worldwide. Psilocybin and psilocin are listed as Class A (United Kingdom) or Schedule I (US) drugs under the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. The possession and use of psilocybin mushrooms, including P. cinctulus, is therefore prohibited by extension. However, in many national, state, and provincial drug laws, there is a great deal of ambiguity about the legal status of psilocybin mushrooms and the spores of these mushrooms. Panaeolus cinctulus is mildly psychoactive.

In culture During the early 1900s, these species were referred to as the "weed Panaeolus" because they were commonly found in beds of the commercially grown, grocery-store mushroom Agaricus bisporus. Mushroom farmers had to weed it out from the edible mushrooms because of the psilocybin content.

Gallery

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Panaeolus cinctulus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Panaeolus cinctulus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Panaeolus cinctulus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Panaeolus cinctulus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Panaeolus cinctulus

In research: Panaeolus cinctulus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Panaeolus cinctulus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Panaeolus cinctulus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fungi described in 1791, Fungi of Iceland, Fungus species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Panaeolus cinctulus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Panaeolus cinctulus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Panaeolus cinctulus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Panaeolus cinctulus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Panaeolus cinctulus in simple terms?

Panaeolus cinctulus, syn. P. subbalteatus, commonly known as the belted panaeolus, banded mottlegill, or subbs, is a very common, widely distributed psilocybin mushroom.

Why does Panaeolus cinctulus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Panaeolus cinctulus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Panaeolus cinctulus.