biology

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa rather than just read about it. In short: Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, also known as rhododendron psilocybe and blue-haired psilocybe, is a psilocybin mushroom of the family Hymenogastraceae having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. First documented in 1980 in the Pacific Northwest, it is relatively uncommon and can be distinguished from other closely related species by its smaller spores and forking cheilocystidia.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa, also known as rhododendron psilocybe and blue-haired psilocybe, is a psilocybin mushroom of the family Hymenogastraceae having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. First documented in 1980 in the Pacific Northwest, it is relatively uncommon and can be distinguished from other closely related species by its smaller spores and forking cheilocystidia. Psilocybe cyanescens also has forking cheilocystidia, but less often than Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa. Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa is also distinguished from Psilocybe cyanescens by an absence of pleurocystidia. The name of this species refers to the fibrils on the Stipe (mycology) that turn bluish in age, or when handled. This species is closely related to Psilocybe subfimetaria.

Description Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa has a farinaceous smell and taste.

Pileus The Pileus is 1.4–3.5 cm in diameter and conic to convex to broadly convex then becoming flat in age. It is not usually umbonate. The pileus is deep chestnut brown and hygrophanous, fading to yellowish brown or grayish white when dry. The surface is viscid when moist from the separable gelatinous pellicle.

Gills The gills are adnate to adnexed to slightly subdecurrent in age. It is light grayish, becoming purplish brown with age while the edges remain whitish.

Spores Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa spores are purplish brown in deposit, subellipsoid in shape, and (9)9.5–11(12) x (5.5)6–6.6(7) μm.

Stipe The stipe is 3–8 cm long and 0.5 cm thick. It has an equal structure only enlarging near the base. The stipe is striate, pallid to yellow brown with fine fibrils that stain blue when handled. The stipe has a cortina that sometimes leaves a fragile annular zone. White rhizomorphs are at the base. The flesh is brownish and bruises bluish to indigo-black.

Microscopic features Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa basidia each produce four spores, and rarely only two spores. The cheilocystidia are fusiform to lanceolate and 22–33 x 5.5–7 μm, with an elongated, forking neck and are 1–1.5 μm thick at its apex. Pleurocystidia are absent in Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa.

Habitat and formation Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa is found growing scattered to gregarious, from September to December from Northern California to British Columbia, Canada. It is found in soils enriched with deciduous wood debris, among bush lupines, in Alder and Willow wood chips and bark mulch, Fir sawdust, in coastal regions, in rhododendron gardens and nurseries, and in flood plains in river estuaries.

Chemistry Both psilocybin and psilocin (0.05 mg per gram dry weight and 1.4 mg per gram psilocin) were detected by Beug and Bigwood.

References Stamets PE, Beug MW, Bigwood JE, Guzmán G. (1980). A new species and new variety of Psilocybe from North America. Mycotaxon 11(2): 476–484.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa

In research: Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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: Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Entheogens, Fungi of North America, Fungus species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa in simple terms?

Why does Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa 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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa?

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 Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa.