Shroom hunting Proper Identification Of Liberty Caps

[darkglobe]

Can somebody post a definitive guide to identifying liberty caps as SWIM doesn't wanna die.

[Nagognog2]

One needs to be shown what is what by a truly experienced person. Or take some classes and read some good books. This is especially true with "the little brown mushrooms" such as many Psilocybe sp. are. This has been covered here many times before.

"There are old mushroom hunters. And there are brave mushroom hunters. But there are no old, brave mushroom hunters."

There was a family from Cambodia that immigrated to Oregon. They were overjoyed to find their favorite mushrrom grew near their new home. Several members of the family died, and the others were hospitalized for a long time. They had eaten Amanita Virosa.

[darkglobe]

Amanita Virosa?

Ouch!

Thanks. Decided against bothering, may seem cowardly, but then russian roulette never did appeal to me.

Feel free to close & delete.

[sunyata]

Liberty caps can vary a lot in appearance when it comes to colour, though they tend to stay the same within clusters. They range from creamy white to dark green.
I agree with Nag that it is best to learn which to pick from someone experienced in it. Even after that you might pick some false liberty caps.
In Norway Swim knows there is a mushroom that looks a lot like Liberty caps, but which is ineffective when taking up to 50 specimens. They can grow much larger than liberty caps as well, with time the bottom of the cone/hat starts to turn upward, as with cubensis and the likes.
These mushrooms are probably another psilocybe species, but have not been found to be toxic by anyone I know who has ingested them.

The funny thing is that you start to develop a sensibility towards which are the real Liberty caps and not the false ones, not so much based on appearance(as appearance can vary a lot within one field) but based on a feeling that "this one is right".

This is in no way meant as a guide to picking Liberty Caps, just some anecdotal info.

P.s. don't pull the mushrooms straight up, this damages the mycelium and might destroy good harvest places. Pinch them of as far down as possible with your fingers.

P.ps. A mind that wanders finds little shrooms, concentration and focus are extremely important because the shrooms are so small that big clusters of them are easily passed by. Swim has found that singing/humming or tapping his thigh keeps his mind focused.

[sxsf-2008]

Where and when am I most likely to find liberty caps growing?

[chillinwill]

It grows on grassy meadows and similar; particularly in wet, south-facing fields and other habitats well fertilized by sheep and other cattle feces, although unlike Psilocybe cubensis it does not grow directly on the dung itself. It is found throughout the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and it is most common in "Europe, Russia, India, Peru and the Pacific Northwest United States and Northeastern North America."

[Coconut]

Read the rules: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/misc.php?do=cfrules

Self-incrimination is not allowed.

Autumn is the time of the year one would be looking for, specifically August to October. Living in the middle of nowhere (surrounded by fields and pastures) is a great advantage.

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59248

[thepieman1]

Originally Posted by Coconut

Living in the middle of nowhere (surrounded by fields and pastures) is a great advantage.

Haha. I can't wait to go out and look at the psilocybe seminanceata in my area (but not pick them, of course).

[Humanity]

Liberty Cap
Psilocybe Semilanceata (Fr. ex Secr.) Kum.
Strophariaceae, Agaricales


Description - Slimy, narrowly conical, brown to tan cap with brownish gills and smooth, off-white stalk; in pastures and manured areas.


Cap - 3/8" - 1" (1-2.5 cm) wide; sharply conical, often peaked, and not expanding; sticky, smooth; brownish, fading to tan, bruising blue on margin.

Gills - attached, close, broad; grayish, becoming dark brown.

Stalk - 2" - 4" (5-10 cm) high, 1/16" (1.5 mm) thick; very thin, whitish.

Veil - partial veil evanescent.

Spores - 11-14 X 7-8 microns; elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip. Spore print purple-brown.

Edibility - Hallucinogenic.

Season - Late August-November.

Habitat - Scattered to numerous, in tall grass and grassy hummocks in cow pastures.

Range - Widely distributed; common in Pacific NW.; also reported in Quebec.

Look-alikes - The hallucinogenic P. pelliculosa and P. silvatica grow in wood chips or mulch, and have conical caps.

Comments - This species is one of the most familiar of the Oregon coast.

Images: http://www.kuhj.com/pic/dru_a/musid1h.jpg
http://www.kuhj.com/pic/dru_a/musid2h.jpg
http://www.kuhj.com/pic/dru_a/musid4h.jpg



SWIM does not want any information proven wrong here on his conscience, so do not act rashly even after checking evreything out here...

Use what you need.. I might've gone overboard with the ol' info