Field Guide

Potent Psilocybe Psilocybe baeocystis Sing. & A.H.S Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Sticky, conical, brown cap with brownish gills and off-white stalk;bruising blue. Cap 5/8" - 2 1/4" (1.5-5.5 cm) wide; conical with incurved margin,expanding to convex or flat; sticky, olive- to buff-brown, bruisingand aging greenish about margin. Gills attached, close, broad; grayish, becoming dark purplish-gray. Stalk 2" - 2 3/4" (5-7 cm) long, 1/16" - 1/8" (1.5-3 mm) thick; whitish,covered with small, whitish fibers. Veil partial veil evanescent. Spores 10-13 X 6.3-7 microns; elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip. Sporeprint dark purplish. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season September-November Habitat Scattered to numerous, in wood chips, on decayed wood, and decayingmoss. Range Pacific NW. Look-alikes P. strictipes has long, brittle, straight stalk. Thehallucinogenic Psilocybe cyanescens has broad, wavy, knobbed cap. Comments This species is a potent hallucinogen that contains several activecompounds. Its side effects are not well known. Images 25k, 23k, 25k, 47k, 43k, 120k, 19k Blue-Foot Psilocybe Psilocybe caerulipes (Pk.) Sacc. Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Brownish, knobbed cap, fading to yellow, with brown gills; whitishstalk bluish at base; on decayed wood. Cap 3/8" - 1 3/8" (1-3.5 cm) wide; conical to convex with incurved margin,becoming flat or broadly knobbed; sticky, becoming dry, smooth;watery-cinnamon to yellowish; bruising greenish or bluish, sometimesslowly. Gills attached, close to crowded, narrow; brownish to rust-cinnamon. Stalk 1 1/4" - 2 3/8" (3-6 cm) long, 1/16" - 1/8" (1.5-3 mm) thick,enlarging to base; whitish, staining greenish-blue. Veil partial veil evanescent. Spores 7-10 X 4-5.5 microns, (but 10-12 X 5.7 microns from 2-spored basidia);elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip. Spore print darkpurple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season August-October. Habitat Single or in small clusters, on deciduous wood and wood mulch,especially birch and maple. Range Maine to North Carolina, west to Michigan. Comments Often overlooked or ignored as just another LBM, little brownmushroom, this hallucinogenic species turns blue on handling, usuallyafter several minutes. Images 91k Common Large Psilocybe Psilocybe cubensis (Ear.) Sing. Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Large, fleshy, yellowish cap with brown gills and a persistent ring onstalk; bruising blue; on cow manure. Cap 5/8" - 3 1/2" (1.5-9 cm) wide; conical or bell-shaped, becoming convexto flat with central knob; sticky, hairless; white withbrownish-yellow center, becoming entirely brownish-yellow, bruisingand aging bluish. Gills attached, close, narrow; gray, becoming deep violet-gray, then black;edges whitish. Stalk 1 3/8" - 6" (3.5-15 cm) long, 1/8" - 5/8" (0.3-1.5 cm) thick, becomingenlarged below; smooth, grooved at top; white, bruising blue. Veil partial veil membranous; leaving persistent white ring (soon blackishfrom falling spores) on upper stalk. Spores 11.5-17 X 8-11.5 microns; oval to elliptical, smooth, thick-walled,blunt, with distinct pore at tip. Spore print purple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season Nearly year-round. Habitat On cow and horse dung in pastures. Range Gulf Coast. Comments This is an abundant member of the Gulf Coast pastureland flora. Images 120k, 18k, 8k Bluing Psilocybe Psilocybe cyanescens Wkfld. Strophariaceae, Agaricales Desciption Tacky, wavy, brown cap, fading to yellowish, with brownish gills andwhitish stalk; bruising blue. Cap 3/4" - 1 5/8" (2-4 cm) wide; convex, becoming nearly flat withundulating or wavy margin; sticky to moist, smooth; darkchestnut-brown, fading to yellowish, bruising blue. Gills attached, nearly distant, broad; cinnamon-brown, becoming darker. Stalk 2 3/8" - 3 1/4" (6-8 cm) long, 1/8" - 1/4" (3-5 mm) thick, sometimesenlarged at base; curved, whitish, bruising blue. Veil partial veil white, evanescent. Spores 9-12 X 5.5-8.3 microns; elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip. Sporeprint purple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season September-November. Habitat Several to many, in coniferous mulch. Range British Columbia to San Francisco. Look-alikes The hallucinogenic P. baeocystis and P. strictipes lackwavy margin. Comments When ingested in large quantity, this can be stronglyhallucinogenic. Images 23k, 8k, 17k, 37k, 21k, 180k, 15k, 101k Conifer Psilocybe Psilocybe pelliculosa (A.H.S.) Sing. & A.H.S. Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Sticky, dark brown, conical cap with brown gills and off-white, hairystalk. Cap 1/4" - 3/4" (0.5-2 cm) wide; conical to bell-shaped; sticky, smooth;dark brown, fading to tan, bruising blue. Gills attached, close, narrow; cinnamon-brown, then darkening. Stalk 2 3/8" - 3 1/4" (6-8 cm) long, 1/16" (1.5 mm) thick; whitish,darkening; covered with small, grayish fibers. Veil partial veil evanescent. Spores 9.3-11 X 5.5 microns; elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip.Spore print purple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season September-November. Habitat Several to many, separately or in clusters, on conifer mulch inwoods. Range British Columbia to N. California. Look-alikes The hallucinogenic P. semilanceata found in manured grass, hassmooth stalk. P. silvatica has smaller spores. Comments This species, often confused with the Liberty Cap (P.semilanceata), lacks its narrowly conical cap and is only weaklyhallucinogenic. Images 19k, 147k, 15k, 9k, 14k, 16k Liberty CapPsilocybe semilanceata (Fr. ex Secr.) Kum. Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Slimy, narrowly conical, brown to tan cap with brownish gills andsmooth, off-white stalk; in pastures and manured areas. Cap 3/8" - 1" (1-2.5 cm) wide; sharply conical, often peaked, and notexpanding; sticky, smooth; brownish, fading to tan, bruising blue onmargin. 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 printpurple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season Late August-November. Habitat Scattered to numerous, in tall grass and grassy hummocks in cowpastures. Range Widely distributed; common in Pacific NW.; also reported inQuebec. Look-alikes The hallucinogenic P. pelliculosa and P. silvatica growin wood chips or mulch, and have conical caps. Comments This species is one of the most familiar of the Oregon coast. Images 25k, 169k, 27k, 49k, 17k, 13k, 18k Stuntz's Blue Legs Psilocybe stuntzii Guzman and Ott Strophariaceae, Agaricales Description Sticky, brownish cap with brownish gills and brownish, ringed stalk;bruising blue. Cap 5/8" - 1 5/8" (1.5-4 cm) wide; conical, expanding to broadly convexwith central knob, or nearly flat; becoming somewhat wavy anduplifted; sticky to moist, smooth; dark to yellow-brown, oftengreen-tinged on margin. Gills attached, close to almost distant, broad; off-white, becomingbrownish. Stalk 1 1/4" - 2 3/8" (3-6 cm) long, 1/8" (3 mm) thick, sometimes enlargedat base; yellowish, smooth to fibrous. Veil partial veil leaves fragile ring that becomes bluish zone on upperstalk. Spores 8-12.5 X 6-8 microns; elliptical, smooth, with pore at tip. Sporeprint purple-brown. Edibility Hallucinogenic. Season September-December Habitat Several to clustered, in coniferous wood-chip mulch; reported onlawns. Range Pacific NW. Look-alikes The deadly Galerina autumnalis has tawny cap fading to yellow,brown gills, and rust-brown spore print. Stropharia species donot bruise blue. Comments Also known as the "Washington Blue Veil". Like some other blue legs,this does not blue conspicuously. To avoid confusing it with theDeadly Galerina (Galerina autumnalis), be sure to take a sporeprint. Images 19k, 126k, 119k, 20k, 22k, 17k editor's note The spores for the Deadly Galerina are 8.5-10.5 X 5-6.5 microns;elliptical, roughened, with smooth depression. If you die from eating a mushroom of questionable qualities, all I can sayis, "Thanks for providing us with the new information!" The data from yourautopsy will save the rest of us from making the same mistake. Harsh buttrue. In other words (again) -- be careful! Nobody will assume anyresponsibility for your death or illness if you make a mistake with'shrooms. Not even if you are only gathering 'shrooms for dinner, letalone 'shrooms for a "trip." You are on your own on this one. All that aside -- I wish the best for you in your adventures in 'shrooming. I hope this collective of words and pics will open up a new "Virtual Reality" for you -- commonly known as the "Real Reality". Maybe this will get some of you away from your monitors and out into the woods and fields on occasion. There's lots of "stuff" out there! (And most of it isn't delivered to you in data-packets and doesn't even need batteries or an A.C. outlet, nor a credit card number. Yep, believe it or not -- it's true, honest!)