Posted by pinksharkmark (206.105.238.211) on March 01, 2001 at 09:50:32:
In Reply to: Just what I needed! posted by annemarie on March 01, 2001 at 04:30:49:
A few points...
Stropharia cubensis and psilocybe cubensis are the same thing. When they were originally described over fifty years ago, they were incorrectly assigned to the genus "stropharia". Later taxonomists determined that they are actually a member of the genus "psilocybe". For some reason the "stropharia" designation persists in many places in Europe.
Psilocybe cubensis, BY WEIGHT, is actually generally considered to be a bit LESS potent than psilocybe semilanceata (Flash's Liberty Caps). The confusion may arise from the fact that p. semilanceata are MUCH smaller and more delicate in structure than p. cubensis, hence many more individual specimens are required to arrive at the same MASS of mushroom.
P. cubensis is capable of growing to quite impressive sizes... it is not unusual to see individual specimens weighing over an ounce (thirty grams), and I have seen pictures of some with a cap as big as a dinner plate.
This is why it is CRITICAL to measure dosage by WEIGHT and not by the number of mushrooms.
P. cubensis is absurdly easy to grow indoors, p. semilanceata is almost impossible. I have not been able to find a single report of anyone successfully producing Liberty Cap mushrooms indoors. This is why your local shop will have p. cubensis year-round, but p. semilanceata only at certain times... they must wait until they can be collected in the wild, and the conditions for their growth are such that they are a seasonal find.
Keep us informed of your progress, Annemarie!
pinky