enna snC) Pisses es re ee NC Se Reece eee eee ae eae eee RE ee eer TO ee esc RCC cs Ne eo ee SOA ogee Ra oO ZO SC ees oe oer eee een ee eee TT a Pe eta sre een nent Cees a —Davww nora, author of Mushrooms Demystified he information [presented here] is the raw data that can Te eM ao ors noe Deora PO —TereNcE MCKENNA, author of Se ea a oe ceurate, comprehensive, and entertaining. Dee rae ee eee ee oem SCN a eae TTT The Audubon Society Field Guide to Dee ore Ce WY Vay | AUL STAMETS fareword by Andrew WeillSPEED re Cia Pe TaCCopytight © 1996 by Paul Stamets Foreword © 1986 by Andrew Weil Photography (except as noted below) © 1996 by Paul Stamets A rights texted. No pat of this book may be reproduced in any form, except Bret excerpts for the pupose of review, without writen permission from the publisher 19 “em Speod Pres Post fice Box 7123 Berkley, Califonia 94707 Disnbuted in Austala by EJ Bayer Py: [4d Im Canada by Publishers Group West, in New Zealand ty Tandem Pes, in South Aca by eal Books, and In the United Kingdom and [ruope by Aleit Books Design by Catherine Jacobes ‘mnotogeaphy and iltasrations by Join W. Ales 73, 83, 140; David Arora: 70,118,125, 183, 171 (second from bottom; Harley Bannart 8S: Michael Beug: 81 (ight), 138, 149; Aicen Bessette: 186 ISI; Joremy Bigwood: 74 (et), Catherine Seates Barnhart: 77, $1 (lef), 108, 106, 152, 143 top), 117, 179, 184, 197,194 second trom bottom; Harley Barnhart: 8S; Stan Czolowski 197 Jochen Gast: 99, 134, 182; Gaston Guzman: 92, 100: Kathleen Harsson: 17; James Q. facobs: 195 108, 104, 116, 117, 118, 129, 130, HE bottom), 187, 165, 168, 170; Grant liv: 12,48, 246, Chis King: 9, 91; Paul Kroeger: 127,171 (top), 194 (boom): Gary Linco: 107, 128, 171 totem jonathan Mesdee: back cover; Steve Morgan: 94, 141, 143 (mide), 188; Meinhard Moser 145; Gyorgy Olah: 139, Steve Rooke: x; Gioglo Samosini & G. Camila: 14, 2 Steven Sehioor: 200, 201, 202; Kazumasa Yokoyama: 87, 153, 158, 163, 183 Library of Congtess Cataloging-n-Publication Data ‘Stam, Pa Psilcybin mushrooms othe wore om. Aches ibographialreterence ip.) and des Isen 099515.830-7 1. Psloeybetdentifcaion, 2. Mushrovs, Haliucinogenie—Henieation, f Tle 629.8778735 1996 9.272220 oet5717 ow stamets est pining, 1996 Prints i Sigae PET He = nom om OF To Cruz my wife and partnerTen Speed Press hopes this book will fiurcher public understar Jescribed in this book may be pee ae aaa cal contert, Ten Speed Press does ee ea a or using psychoactive mushrooms, eee ee Contents 6 Foreword . ix Introduction. . 1 Psilocybes from a Historical Perspective « ou Global Ecologies and the World Distribution of Psilocybin Mushrooms . . . Targeting Six Classi The Dangers of Mistaken Identification... Habitats . Good Tips for Great Trips. . : Field Collection Techniques... « How to Identify Psilocybin Mushrooms... The Major Psilocybin Genera... . the genus Panaeolus 67 The genus Psilocybe. 84 The Minor Psilocybin Genera. . .. =175; Ihe genus Conocybe 175 Ihe genus Gymnopilus 178 the genus Inocybe: 185 The genus Pluteus 190 the Deadly Look-alikes. ce eeeees - 192 = 203 215 218 Glossary. Recommended Reading and Resources... . Works Cited Acknowledgments . cee eee BH WOK eee eee eee eee ee 22233 About the Author . . cee eevee vcee eee e ss 245Foreword HULs GUIDE IS A UNIQUE ADDITION to the literature on mush: toms in general and psychoactive mushrooms in particular. Paul Stamets has brought together a mass of accurate information, both tex- tual and graphic, on mushrooms that contain psilocybin—far more s throughout the world than have ever been presented in this umat, including several species new to science. Anyone interested in these distinctive products of nature will find this book an invaluable reterence, whether from the point of view of the collector, the scholar, the prospective user. Most psilocybin mushrooms are small, dull-colored fungi that never tracted much notice in our culture until R. Gordon ¥ ‘tuaditional ceremonial use of magic mushrooms in Mexico to world ‘wn in 1957. For some time thereafter, large numbers of Americans and | inopeans streamed to remote areas of Oaxaca in search of them, unaware ‘shat equally potent species grew in their own countries, sometimes liter uily in their own backyards. This guide makes clear that psilocybin mush- toons are ubiquitous, and, as more people search for them, they will probably be found in almost every place on earth. Isilocybin resembles melatonin, serotonin, and other neuroregula: toons in ily chemical structure, Its effects on human consciousness are profound, What is it doing in so many mushrooms? Certainly, tod: he presence of this compound is an evolutionary advantage because huany humans find if attractive, thereby helping to propagate tho: povies containing i, But what about in the past? Perhaps all that one un say iy Hutt psilocybin mushrooms are an illustration of the inter- pnnectedness of all Jif and consciousness in ways that are more won Jesful aul staange than our intellects can explain, Lendrew WeilIntroduction NINETEEN YEARS OLD WHEN | embarked on my first book, vbe Mushrooms & Their Allies. | was living in a mountain cabin near Diarrington, Washington, and progress was sl in part ecause was pounding away on a vintage Underwood typewriter whose required perpetual cleaning with toothbrushes. And yet, the project Jvvame a window into another dimension. Twenty years later, I am still ‘ollecting photographs and data on the subject. This book is an accu shation of research, both my own and my colleagues, through genera- ons of experiences. When my family first moved from a small town in Ohio to Seattl¢ | asus mesmerized by m horizons, marked by jal Lountains—a stark contrast to the bland scenery of the Midw Avnils, | would hike the trails of the North Cascades. | loved the Lamntorest—its smell, stillness, and sense of life quietly emerging all iwwut ine. Hiking up basalt-slotted canyons, fording over thundering atctlalls, or traversing ravines that led deep into the heart of dormant noes, | found mushrooms everywhere. They lined the trails, bor: 4 luigh alpine lakes, and dotted pristine meadows. Their shapes nul colors boggled the imagination, demanding recognition. A nwakening began within me, one undoubtedly repeated for millennia, lushiooms symbolized the bridge between life and death, between Wsell and the woodlands in whieh | lived. [ sensed they were guardian: 4 the sacred forests—conscious and. watchful of my presence. Mush- my spirits soon enveloped my daily life, convincing me that they sul Ihe vebieles for gecater good. [fell | had found my place within J Continuum, an shared a sacred bond that spanned from the first pale- Jithic snycotogists theeayghy the present, and to generations yet to come.chokers for a living. The pay was good, and the dangers satisfied a p mal instinct, My long hair set me apart ftom the die-hard, tobacco- chewing men who tried to outdo each other with demonstrations of bravery and stupidity. The job kept me in the woods, strengthened my resolve for self-reliance, was aerobically unbeatable, and provided an escape from the only other source of employment: dusty lumber mills, which detested. During this tenure as a logger, | was introduced to the startling array of mushrooms that many of my logget friends collected and ate. Their excitement upon discovering each new mushroom patch was infectious, Soon, my mind become a sponge for information about fungi, The subject seemed to have no boundaries—the more | studied, the more I realized how little I knew. My path had been set on a course that continues to this day. “That the psilocybin-containing varieties would be absent from such a mycological paradise seemed impossible. I began searching in university libraries for information on the psilocybin mushrooms, but soon learned that very few books even had Psilacybe listed in their indexes. Those that did had one peculiarity in common: all descriptions, photographs, and otherwise useful information had been tom out, leaving a gaping and depressing testimonial to the eagerness with which others had sought the same information. At this time, the mid seventies, most people seeking Psilocybes would make long treks to Mexico Few realized that these “magic mushrooms” were commonplace in regions of North America and Europe. The few books available, | soon discovered, had misleading if not ‘outright false information. Many of the authors lacked field experience and simply copied the mistakes of their predecessors, During the course of my research, 1 was surprised to discover that active Psilocybes ae rarely found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest Curiously, the potent Psilocybes are scarce in the wild but prolific and secure in their niche in the cities. The woodland Psilocybe, P. pelliculosa, is the one exception—it thrives in wild but disturbed grounds such as trails, abandoned forest roads, and other similar habitats. In twenty years, | have found only one specimen of ?. pelicula deep within a natural forest. | am continually amazed that the majority ef wood- decomposing Psilocybes thrive not in the depths of the wilds but in the disturbed habitats of densely populated areas, such as landscaping ‘arouttel buildings. As the ase af decoritive wood chips for kanescaping, Introduction became more common, a certain little brown mushroom began appear- ing with Increasing frequency—a phenomenon that caught many off xuard, Unfortunately, some of the world’s most poisonous mushrooms also thrive in this habitat, Distinguishing between the groups is not dif licult, but a simple mistake can have deadly ramitications. While researching Psilocybe, | became accustomed to meeting great resistance from professional mycologists, many of whom had an instant listiust of anyone expressing a passion for Psilocybe. ‘There were some inveologists who stated publicly that it would be better for people to «lie from mistakes in identification than to provide them with the tools lun recognizing a Psilocybe mushroom. This bizarre attitude towards ‘'ilucybe mushrooms and the people Who used them reflected a chasm hretiven generations. Some physicians even seemed to take a perverse pleasure in the need: Iss pumping of stomachs of patients who had consumed psilocybin coushiwooms, One doctor told me he does so to “teach them a lesson.” liliniormed doctors, intoxicated with the power of their presumed vullority, gave themselves license to espouse anti-mushroom rhetoric ‘Hut strayed far ftom the truth. Later, I discovered that the reactions of siise doctors and mycologists were often simply a result of ignorance. vue the majority of the psilocybin mushrooms—unlike the common ‘shies ne rare in conifer forests, most mycologists seldom encoun: ‘sol them during their sojourns, These were the same mycologists lose expertise was relied upon by attending physicians. siting in the mic seventies, a new subcaltire evolved trom the Jabwic of the counterculture movement of the sixties, In the northwest- 11 anal southeastern United States, Hunting for Psilocybes approached Jie status of a tational sport. In certain pastures, dozens of mushroom Jhunters could he scon on a daily basis—stooping, squatting, slowly and sncthuaically walking under the gaze of stupetied cows and sometimes sta taravers, Lonee estimated that each day « ing, the fall, several ng Psilocybes in the fields of western Wash- 1 Hie wave oF interest soon became an invasion—a pandemic and a housne people were hunt vue velebre tor an entire genenution, oosguassing, nel illegal passession Gases clogged the courtrooms. Hos als ny pare accidental poisoninags sinh overdoses than ever before Dy cuter entent oficial wear of Uae onslaweht, twpically: prosecuted