The picture of the four caps on paper represents samples from the four discovered patches, after the prints are complete I will proceed to examine the spores microscopically.
Panaeolus cinctulus spores are roughly 12 x 8 µm, they are ellipitic-citriform, and quite thick-walled, one important feature to note is that they are smooth.
Panaeolina foenisecii spores are roughly 12 - 17 x 7 - 11 μm, they can be "lemon" shaped or are subfusoid, they are rough, this is an important feature to note, The spores appear to have what I can only call tiny bumps on them, they are not smooth.
Other microscopic features exist for both species, however, when attempting to determine whether you have panaeolina foenisecii or Panaeolus cinctulus smooth versus rough is my main focus.
Panaeolina foenisecii spore prints are rust to dark brown.
Panaeolus cinctulus spore prints are jet black.
I still prefer microscopic confirmation, as visually things can get a but confusing, specially when dealing with particularly dark shades of brown.
There are reports of intoxication from Panaeolina foenisecii, many speculated to be psychedelic experiences induced by psilocybin as the example below demonstrates:
Panaeolina foenisecii contains serotonin, which is not orally active due to an exposed amine nitrogen which makes the molecule amenable to oxidative deamination by monoamine oxidase enzymes, and the molecule has an open hydroxy grouping off of carbon atom number 5 of the indole ring, with acts as a large polar, hydrophilic block to passage beyond the blood brain barrier.This Panaeolus is common in the grass and looks fairly boring, but—in this case—looks deceive....
In some parts of the U.S., P. foenisecii contains psilocybin, the same pyschoactive agent found in magic mushrooms. There is some evidence that P. foenisecii may be hallucinogenic.
A number of cases have been reported involving children eating P. foenisecii and apparently having hallucinations. Mushroom poisoning expert Marilyn Shaw reports one case in which a man was mowing his lawn in Denver and found his child with "mushrooms around her mouth." Her mother said the little girl was later "banging her head" and holding her head and was frightened of both her parents. The kid was not acting as if she had a stomach ache. At the hospital in the middle of the night, Marilyn identified the mushrooms as P. foenisecii, and the doctor administered a tranquilizer. In another case, a child at a summer camp ate about 30 mushrooms, and the counselor believed she was later hallucinating.
http://urbanmushrooms.com/index.php?id=42
panaeolina foenisecii also contain 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, this is the deamination product of serotonin, after the amine nitrogen has been enzamatically removed from the ethylamine side chain of the serotonin molecule 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid results. I seriously doubt that oral ingestion of this compound would be responsible for the reports of intoxication after consuming Panaeolina foenisecii.
Panaeolina foenisecii also produce 5-HTP, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan. 5-HTP is available as a supplement, it can produce upset stomach, changes in perception and mood, sleepiness, vivid dreams and nightmares, anxiety, and other effects, all of which resemble the anecdotes of Panaeolina foenisecii intoxication very closely, and in my opinion, this is the compound responsible for the psychoactive effects of Panaeolina foenisecii.
However, Panaeolina foenisecii and Panaeolus cinctulus grow in the same environment during the same times of year, and can often be found growing together. Since psilocybin is water soluble, and since water soluble nutrients and compounds can be transferred across mycelium through hyphae, it may be possible that the Panaeolus cinctulus mycelium is passing psilocybin to the Panaeolina foenisecii mycelium through the intermingled hyphae of both myceliums, though this is some fairly long shot speculation, but it does lead me to my next theory regarding Panaeolina foenisecii intoxication, and that is misidentification. Panaeolus cinctulus may be far more common than assumed and could be either growing alone, or growing with Panaeolina foenisecii in these cases of reported intoxication.
Regardless, I have been collecting and studying both Panaeolina foenisecii
And Panaeolus cinctulus for quite some time, and will continue to do so.
All of the pictures are of suspected Panaeolina foenisecii, I don't post my Panaeolus cinctulus harvests for obvious reasons.