Deconica montana

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***Deconica montana***, commonly known as the **mountain moss Psilocybe**, is a common species of mushroom that is usually found growing in mossy areas, often in montane regions around the world. The appearance is that of a typical "little brown mushroom"—with a small, brown cap and a straight, thin stipe, growing separately or in clumps with others.

## Taxonomy

*Psilocybe montana* was formerly the type species of the mushroom genus *Psilocybe*. Because it does not contain hallucinogenic tryptamine derivatives like psilocybin or psilocin, it does not stain blue when handled, unlike other typical hallucinogenic members of this genus. Molecular studies in the late 2000s revealed that the genus was polyphyletic and consisted of two distinct clades separating the blueing species from the non-blueing species. However, dividing the genus would be problematic as the name *Psilocybe* was attached to *P. montana* and consequently to the non-blueing clade, leaving the hallucinogenic species without a generic name. Because the name is widely associated with the hallucinogenic species and considering the potential legal ramifications of changing their generic name, a proposal was made to conserve the name *Psilocybe* with *P. semilanceata* as the type. This left *Deconica* available as a name for the non-blueing species. The proposal was unanimously accepted by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi in 2009.

## Description

The cap is 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter, initially convex in shape but flattening in age, sometimes with a broad umbo. The cap is moist, glabrous, hygrophanous, and has radial striations to the center; the color is brown to dark-brown. The gills are adnate to broadly adnate or sometimes very shortly decurrent, and of the same color as the cap. The stipe is 1.5–4 cm long, 1–2 mm thick, smooth, the same color as the cap, and brittle. Spores are typically 7.5–10 × 6–8 × 5–5.5 µm and ovate–lentiform in shape with a thickened wall. A large spored variety (spore dimensions of 8.5–11 × 6.0–8.5 × 5.0–7.0 µm), *Psilocybe montana* var. *macrospora* Noordel. & Verduin (1999), has also been reported from the Netherlands. The spore print is dark greyish brown.

## Habitat

*Deconica montana* is saprobic, possibly also parasitic. It is often associated with mosses such as *Brachythecium albicans*, *B. mutabulum*, *Campylopus introflexus*, *Ceratodon purpureus*, *Dicranum scoparium*, *Eurhynchium hians*, *E. praelongum*, *E. speciosum*, *Rhacomitrium canescens*, *Pohlia* species or *Polytrichum piliferum*. It is commonly found in exposed situations such as dune-meadows, heaths and tree-less tundra, and open *Pinus* forests, usually on nutrient-poor, well-drained soil.

Psilocybe montana.jpg*Deconica montana* on moss.Psilocybe.montana2.-.lindsey.jpg*Deconica montana*
## Distribution

The species has a worldwide, almost cosmopolitan distribution and has been reported from a variety of regions in a wide range of climates, including:

* Britain (Thetford Forest)
* California, United States
* the Caribbean
* China (western Kunlun Mountains)
* Colombia (high plains of Guasca)
* Greenland
* Mexico
* Nepal
* Norway
* in alpine tundra as well as subalpine regions in Switzerland
* in the region formerly known as the USSR
* in the Venezuelan Andes and
* in moss at high elevations in Idaho and MontanaTemplate:Rp
* in Arctic tundra.Template:Rp

They have also been reported growing in Chemnitz, Germany, on vegetation-covered flat roofs.

## References

1. ↑ Singer, R. (1975). *The Agaricales in Modern Taxonomy*. J. Cramer, Vaduz. 912 p.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Template:Cite journal
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:Cite journal
4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Moncalvo2002`
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9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Template:Cite journal
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12. ↑ Template:Cite journal
13. ↑ http://www.entoloma.nl/html/psmontananed.html
14. ↑ Template:Cite journal
15. ↑ California Fungi - Psilocybe.
16. ↑ Template:Cite journal
17. ↑ Template:Cite journal
18. ↑ Template:Cite journal
19. ↑ Lange, M. (1955). Macromycetes Part II, Greenland Agaricales. Meddel. Grønland. 147:1–69.
20. ↑ Template:Cite journal
21. ↑ Template:Cite journal
22. ↑ Template:Cite journal
23. ↑ Favre, J. (1955). *Les champignons supérieurs de la zone alpine du Parc National Suisse. Vol. 5*. Druck Ludin AG. Liestal, Switzerland. pp. 1–212.
24. ↑ Favre, J. (1960). *Catalogue descriptif des champignons supérieurs de la zone subalpine du Parc National Suisse. Vol. 6*. Druck Ludin AG. Liestal, Switzerland. pp. 323–610.
25. ↑ Template:Cite journal
26. ↑ Template:Cite journal

## Further reading

* Stamets P. (1996). *Psilocybin mushrooms of the world*. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA, USA. 245 pp. (p. 132)

## External links

* Index Fungorum synonyms
* California Fungi
* BioImages Photos from various angles
* Mushroom Observer Photos of various D. montana sightings

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