biology

Psilocybe quebecensis

Psilocybe quebecensis 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 quebecensis rather than just read about it. In short: Psilocybe quebecensis (preferred synonym: Psilocybe aztecorum) is a moderately active hallucinogenic mushroom in the section Aztecorum, having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. Native to Quebec, it is the most northern known psilocybin mushroom after Psilocybe semilanceata in northern Scandinavia.

Key takeaways

Psilocybe quebecensis 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 quebecensis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Psilocybe quebecensis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Psilocybe quebecensis (preferred synonym: Psilocybe aztecorum) is a moderately active hallucinogenic mushroom in the section Aztecorum, having psilocybin and psilocin as main active compounds. Native to Quebec, it is the most northern known psilocybin mushroom after Psilocybe semilanceata in northern Scandinavia. Macroscopically this mushroom somewhat resembles Psilocybe baeocystis.

Etymology Named for the province Quebec, where it was discovered.

Description Cap: 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) (3.5 cm or 1.38 in) in diameter. Nearly hemispheric to convex at first, becoming subcampanulate to more or less plane when mature, viscid and even to translucent-striate when moist, hygrophanous, brownish to straw colored, yellowish to milk white when dry. Surface smooth, may become finely wrinkled with age, flesh whitish. Readily stains blue-green where injured. Gills: Adnate, thin, moderately broad to swollen in the middle. Grayish yellow with green tones becoming dark brown at maturity, with the edges remaining whitish. Spore Print: Dark purplish brown. Stipe: 2–3.5 cm (0.79–1.38 in) (4.5 cm or 1.77 in) long by 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) (2.5 mm or 0.098 in) thick. Equal, slightly subbulbous, smooth to striate, brittle, tough, and fibrous, base is furnished with long conspicuous rhizomorphs. Yellowish or brownish towards the base, whitish when dry, partial veil cortinate, and soon disappearing, no annulus present, readily bruises blue. Taste: Somewhat farinaceous Odor: Farinaceous Microscopic features: Spores ellipsoid to subovoid in side and face view some spores mango shaped, 8.8–11 μm (16 μm) × 6.6–7.7 μm (8.8 μm). Basidia 15–20 μm (28 μm) 4-spored. Pleurocystidia present, 12–25 μm (35 μm) × (3 μm) 5–10 μm (15 μm), relatively polymorphic, often fusiform-ventricose or ampullaceous. Cheilocystidia (18 μm) 22–36 μm × 5.5–8.8 μm (10 μm), fusoid-ampullaceous with an extended neck, 2–3.3 μm thick, abundant, forming a sterile band, sometimes with a hyaline viscous drop at the apex.

Habitat and formation Solitary to gregarious, rarely cespitose, on rotting wood, particularly in the outwashes of streams in the decayed-wood substratum of alder, birch, fir and spruce in the late summer and fall. Reported from Quebec, Canada specifically in the Jacques-Cartier River Valley, fruiting at a temperature of 6 to 15 °C (43 to 59 °F) from summer to late October. Recently found in the United States (Michigan). Originally discovered in 1966, P.Quebecensis has also been confirmed growing in at least one area within Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

References

Further reading Guzman, G. The Genus Psilocybe: A Systematic Revision of the Known Species Including the History, Distribution and Chemistry of the Hallucinogenic Species. Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia Heft 74. J. Cramer, Vaduz, Germany (1983) [now out of print]. Ola'h, Gyorgy Miklos & Heim, R. 1967. Une nouvelle espèce nord-américaine de Psilocybe hallucinogène: Psilocybe quebecensis. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences 264: 1601-1604.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Psilocybe quebecensis

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

In research: Psilocybe quebecensis 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 quebecensis 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 quebecensis 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 quebecensis 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 quebecensis in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Psilocybe quebecensis in simple terms?

Why does Psilocybe quebecensis 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 quebecensis?

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 quebecensis.