The warning at the top of this page should not be taken lightly, even in Scotland where Psilocybe semilanceata is relatively common and where toxic look alikes are relatively rare.
Without any doubt, the best way to learn to identify the psilocybe semilanceata species is to first find a mushroom that you have a 100% guarantee of its authenticity. The most reliable way of doing this is to take a trip to the Royal Botanical gardens in Edinburgh where they have the species in their collection. This will help, but it is not a one stop solution. There is in fact no sure fire way to identify a mushroom - instead several different tests must be applied to a mushroom. There is no one safe test for any mushroom. It is important to realise that even if a specimen of a species has been examined in the past, there may be a variation in colour of the species due to differing loations. What follows is a detailed description of the various characteristics of the psilocybe semilanceata species that can e used as an aid in identification. If a sample you are inspecting fails to meet the given description in any way then it should be regarded as not being psilocybe semilanceata.
Below is a description of the species taken from the literature.
Slimy, narrowly conical. Brown to tan cap with brownish gills. Smooth off-white stalk. Found in pastures, manured areas and in areas of long grass.
Hopefully you wont understand many of the terms used above. Im not saying this to annoy you...honest! Secondly, I wont tell you! The reason for my unhelpfullness is that if you dont understand any of these terms, then I dont want you all going out and picking the wrong species! Invest some money (it need not be much) in mushroom identification book!. I can recomend a cheap book which is useful in that it goes through the basics of mushroom identification.
Collins wild guide: Mushrooms & Toadstools ISBN:0 00 2200007 4 £6.99
As you can see this really is cheap and can be found in most good bookshops. If you cant find it then you can order it online from James Thin Booksellers who are based in Edinburgh and are very reasonable. This book is particularly good in that is a pocket sized guide which has a plastic covering, making it very good for taking along with you on mushroom hunts.
It should be noted that semilanceata is often confused with a related species pelliculosa as they are both quite similar in appearance. The good news is that pelliculosa belongs to the same Psilocybe family (also being hallucinogenic - although weaker than semilaneata). Below are some examples of both Psilocybe semilaneata and pelliculosa. I urge you once again, that these pictures are here for information only.
