6 ms·

Isn't mushroom picking something that requires rather more than a modicum of research upfront before any layman should attempt to do so because of the existence

Isn't mushroom picking something that requires rather more than a modicum of research upfront before any layman should attempt to do so because of the existence of poisonous mushrooms? I mean, this feels eerily reminiscent of Google sending people up to the summit of Ben Nevis across dangerous terrain via a naive line connecting it to the geographically nearest car park. This website does not seem to give any warnings about the risks involved; are there none? Although perhaps smoking (which I guess is what you do with these) may not kill you as much as eating a poisonous mushroom.

celticninja 5y ago
They should be eaten not smoked. Yes you should do your research first. I would be pretty surprised if someone using this to find these mushrooms had not done some research first.
bobmaxup 5y ago
I mean, this is considered a poisonous mushroom to most people.
pbaumel 5y ago
You're absolutely right, nobody should eat any mushroom if they are at all uncertain about its identity. For now i've focused on where and when to look and steered clear of what to look for, partially due to liability concerns. So, right now, the map is mainly useful for people who already know what they are looking for (or are willing to do the research) rather than complete beginners. I may add a 'field guide' on identification with all the caveats in the near future though.
- sheepdestroyer 5y ago
  In France, pharmacists are trained and obligated by law to provide free mushroom identification to anyone. For this purpose, every pharmacy owns of very complete mushroom encyclopedias. I had good results in asking psilocibes IDing, but of course got some weird looks and strong recommendations not to consume them. Nobody called the cops.
WesleyHale 5y ago
Yes, there are poisonous mushrooms that are eerily similar to mushrooms that contain psilocybin. [1] Depending on its stage of growth, they can be easily confused, especially by a newcomer. There is one main rule to foraging. "Never eat a mushroom you can't positively identify." If any trait of it's appearance is questionable, don't eat it. 1: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-confuse-psilocybin-mushrooms-with-poisonous-mushrooms https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-confuse-psilocybin-m...
- shellac 5y ago
  > eerily similar to mushrooms that contain psilocybin. [1] The link says "Psilocybin mushrooms don’t look a lot like poisonous mushrooms. [...] So while it is possible, even a small amount of research will help you not to confuse them. :)".
  - heavyset_go 5y ago
    This is inaccurate or out of date or both. Some species of Psilocybe look just like Galerina and sometimes grow right next to them.
Pyramus 5y ago
I would compare this website more to a very rough, speculative weather forecast. It might increase your chances to find psilocybe slightly, but not really. My understanding is that fatalities from psilocybe (at least in Europe) happen, but are a small percentage of total fatalities, with other species such as amanita being several times more dangerous.
- Freak_NL 5y ago
  The risk would be consuming something that is not Psilocybe semilanceata, but poisonous enough to be lethal. Statistically, that wouldn't count as a fatality from it, but from whatever mushroom was consumed instead.
  - Pyramus 5y ago
    Should have been more precise, I meant fatalities from Psilocybe or little brown mushrooms that look like them. Looking at statistics for a part of Germany (2006) again, there weren't actually any fatalities but 'only' cases of poisoning.
- ta988 5y ago
  Not all amanita are dangerous.
  - Pyramus 5y ago
    True, Amanita phalloides specifically is the single most deadly mushroom at least in Germany according to (slightly dated) statistics.
- regularfry 5y ago
  What it has done is surprise the hell out of me that it's worth looking for mushrooms at all in the park near me, and probably tipped me over the lip between "that's something Other People do" to "hmm, maybe I'll have a poke about next time I'm down there and see what I can see."
shellac 5y ago
Liberty caps are very distinctive and, at least where I live, don't grow near any dangerous mushrooms (open grassland / moor). Unless you were very indiscriminate the risks are very low, and since presumably pickers want the _correct_ mushroom some basic research is assumed.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
sschueller 5y ago
Yes, all made worse by these apps that are available in the play or Apple App store that supposedly identify mushrooms for you. Do not go picking mushrooms without an expert or if you live in a country that offers mushroom inspection [2] use those and stay safe. [1] https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/vorsicht-lebensgefahr-pilz-apps-im-test-einige-sorgen-fuer-lebensgefahr https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/vorsicht-lebensgefahr-pilz-... [2] https://www.vapko.ch/de/ https://www.vapko.ch/de/

celticninja 5y ago

They should be eaten not smoked. Yes you should do your research first. I would be pretty surprised if someone using this to find these mushrooms had not done some research first.

bobmaxup 5y ago

I mean, this is considered a poisonous mushroom to most people.

pbaumel 5y ago

You're absolutely right, nobody should eat any mushroom if they are at all uncertain about its identity. For now i've focused on where and when to look and steered clear of what to look for, partially due to liability concerns. So, right now, the map is mainly useful for people who already know what they are looking for (or are willing to do the research) rather than complete beginners. I may add a 'field guide' on identification with all the caveats in the near future though.

sheepdestroyer 5y ago
In France, pharmacists are trained and obligated by law to provide free mushroom identification to anyone. For this purpose, every pharmacy owns of very complete mushroom encyclopedias. I had good results in asking psilocibes IDing, but of course got some weird looks and strong recommendations not to consume them. Nobody called the cops.

WesleyHale 5y ago

Yes, there are poisonous mushrooms that are eerily similar to mushrooms that contain psilocybin. [1] Depending on its stage of growth, they can be easily confused, especially by a newcomer. There is one main rule to foraging. "Never eat a mushroom you can't positively identify." If any trait of it's appearance is questionable, don't eat it. 1: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-confuse-psilocybin-mushrooms-with-poisonous-mushrooms https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-confuse-psilocybin-m...

shellac 5y ago
> eerily similar to mushrooms that contain psilocybin. [1] The link says "Psilocybin mushrooms don’t look a lot like poisonous mushrooms. [...] So while it is possible, even a small amount of research will help you not to confuse them. :)".
- heavyset_go 5y ago
  This is inaccurate or out of date or both. Some species of Psilocybe look just like Galerina and sometimes grow right next to them.

Pyramus 5y ago

I would compare this website more to a very rough, speculative weather forecast. It might increase your chances to find psilocybe slightly, but not really. My understanding is that fatalities from psilocybe (at least in Europe) happen, but are a small percentage of total fatalities, with other species such as amanita being several times more dangerous.

Freak_NL 5y ago
The risk would be consuming something that is not Psilocybe semilanceata, but poisonous enough to be lethal. Statistically, that wouldn't count as a fatality from it, but from whatever mushroom was consumed instead.
- Pyramus 5y ago
  Should have been more precise, I meant fatalities from Psilocybe or little brown mushrooms that look like them. Looking at statistics for a part of Germany (2006) again, there weren't actually any fatalities but 'only' cases of poisoning.
ta988 5y ago
Not all amanita are dangerous.
- Pyramus 5y ago
  True, Amanita phalloides specifically is the single most deadly mushroom at least in Germany according to (slightly dated) statistics.
regularfry 5y ago
What it has done is surprise the hell out of me that it's worth looking for mushrooms at all in the park near me, and probably tipped me over the lip between "that's something Other People do" to "hmm, maybe I'll have a poke about next time I'm down there and see what I can see."

shellac 5y ago

Liberty caps are very distinctive and, at least where I live, don't grow near any dangerous mushrooms (open grassland / moor). Unless you were very indiscriminate the risks are very low, and since presumably pickers want the _correct_ mushroom some basic research is assumed.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

sschueller 5y ago

Yes, all made worse by these apps that are available in the play or Apple App store that supposedly identify mushrooms for you. Do not go picking mushrooms without an expert or if you live in a country that offers mushroom inspection [2] use those and stay safe. [1] https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/vorsicht-lebensgefahr-pilz-apps-im-test-einige-sorgen-fuer-lebensgefahr https://www.srf.ch/news/panorama/vorsicht-lebensgefahr-pilz-... [2] https://www.vapko.ch/de/ https://www.vapko.ch/de/