Ace

Possibly a verigated specimen. Highly valued in the cacti community due to rarity, but can be hard to keep alive due to lack of chlorophyl. Would recommend grafting to maximise growth and chances of survival (but be sure to practice your grafts first!). Have a bit of a search for some older threads on verigated specimens for pics (or hit google). Otherwise, it is possibly sun/light burned. Generally, all the surrounding plants will be pink/red too from too close/intense a light source. Too much light can cause stress and stunt growth/kill plants. Easily fixed by moving to a slightly darker position, and slowly acclimating them to higher light levels over a long period of time (around a week/fortnight).

Congrats to the winners and three cheers for PD!

Gotta be in it to win it! Thanks Passive, once again your generosity and forum-spirit shine on through

Am I even in the ballpark? Cereus of some sort

Wowsers Bushturkey! It looks like both clone A and B in the one plant! I wonder if etiolation played a part? In all the TBMs I have, not one pup has grown to that sort of length. Penis envy right here...

I'm gonna get flamed for this (and please don't take it personal), but if those around you don't want to be around you because 'you have a problem', doesn't that indicate something? Maybe it would be best to ease up and do things on a less regular and smaller scale? A few pipes after work each day soon becomes a habit, just as a few beers do. Each to their own, but I'd take it as a wake up call to get back on the sobre track and limit use to a more 'relationship friendly' level. After all, being intoxicated on regular occasions often leads to relationship breakdowns because the two are on different wavelengths. It can also cause moodswings and other things that prevent rational thought and limit the ability to compromise. All that aside, good luck with finding the one.

+1 for Andy's suggestion. I'm sure I've read somewhere that it actually affects sleep to the point where it is very unlikely to dream. But I would not encourage use of a prohibited substance, nor the long term use of it for such a trivial use (daily use is certainly not good IMO). As mentioned above, it is probably best to try to cope with whatever is experienced, but easier said than done.

Easily the best ID book in my collection: Mushrooms by Roger Phillips. Spectacular photographs, so many species and such much info to draw on. Without a doubt my mushroom bible. The only note I have is that it has almost no info on the active species, however it makes up for it with info on edibles, poisonous ones and those somewhere in between. A must read Edit: I have to add - it is modern, quite chunky (not like all those pissy handbooks that barely delve above the surface of the fungal world), full of awesome photos, it indicates sizes (such as photos that are a certain % of actual size), covers many Aussie species (mostly those introduced) and it is easy enough to read for someone new to mushrooms and comprehensive enough for those who are struggling to find a better book on the subject. Five stars.

Another awesome pic Out of interest, are you in Aus, Zelly, or overseas? I couldn't imagine there being too many specimens of that size here in Oz.

im more for lookin at what cacti likes the company of the others when i place them out in the garden Hi Tara, it really depends on what your garden grows. I've found most general cacti are so easy going that they dont mind adapting to not-so-ideal soils/watering regiments. All as long as you remember to err to the side of underwatering (to avoid rot). Unless you have very different species with very different needs (such as ariocarpus and trichocereus), you shouldn't have much trouble planting them together. As mentioned above, run with asthetics and you should have no probs

Some good points Zelly And I particularly appreciate that photo of the caespitosa roots - I have never seen such a detailed pic of one (nor have I grown caes). No arguements from me - most of my research has been from online sources and this forum (and a bit of cultivation way back when), so I'm always learning. But I still reckon San P's one is L. williamsii v. caespitosa

Wow, some truly stunning stuff! You certainly have talent for turning trash into artistic treasures My faves would be the wall hangings - gorgeous. Would love to see more!

Thanks for the light adjustment Zelly - that makes a world of difference I'm in disagreement with Ace's assumption that buttons forming on the main head automatically make it a caes. You dont think it is a good indicator for caespitose lophs? From here: caespitose - (of plants) growing in small dense clumps or tufts. Dont get me wrong, it is not a guaranteed ID, nor would it be an exact way to correctly ID any loph that way, but I think it's a pretty good guide when trying to pick a label for a plant in this fashion I've certainly seen my share of regular williamsii (and other lophs) with many heads on the one rootstock, but for a plant that size to have so many heads indicates without too much doubt (IMO) that this great specimen is L. williamsii v. caespitosa. Also, As the picture shows, the side buttons appear to be on their own roots & not forming on the main head. I'd wager $ on those side buttons being on the same roots as the main head Wait, sorry, San P has already indicated so

To be honest, I'm still completely unaware of caespitosa activity. From reports online some say they are active, others say the opposite. I (honestly) have no first hand experience with the consumption of any cacti so I can only pass on second hand info from online or from texts. You mention green and grey varieties - from my experience (back when they were legal to grow in my area) the grey variety would sometimes receive a scratch revealing a beautiful glossy green underneath. I have a feeling they are actually one in the same, unless they have been clones derived from different seeds, in which case, who really knows. I guess the only way to determine if the grey or green var. is more active would be if one were to perhaps grow a large clump of both, take identical weight cuttings from both, then extract to pure mescaline from the cuttings to determine which had more pure compound. The only difficult part is that even within the same plant there can be differing levels of compounds and two identical clones grown under identical conditions can exhibit different activity levels (again, from what I've read). Personally, I'd recommend avoiding eating any lophies and keep them only as ornamentals. They are gorgeous plants that, with some love and care, will outlive their owner. Why cut that short for a few hours of phenethylamine-fun? There are much more renewable sources for that if one really did wish to break the law.

Wow, old thread! I was gifted an oyster culture to get me started into the world of mycology but I didn't end up having much luck unfortunately. I've done a lot more research since though and thankfully all these silly questions have since been answered here and in books. Haven't really had much time to get into it all since back when this thread was opened (apart from one or two very half-assed attempts that ended up pointless). Perhaps down the track I'll have an opportunity to get into bulk edibles and start a market stall. That's the plan anyway 'Canning Jars' - ahh the cluelessness of being a noob

High guys/gals, Any suggestions as to where one might find the canning jars used in the PF Tek? Would these be attainable in your average shop like Kmart or elsewhere? Sorry if this has been asked before, I know, I'm hopeless

Sanp, my guess would be L. williamsii v caespitosa. It is hard to tell with the dark photo, but the buttons forming on the main head indicate that it is the clumping caespitosa variety. Just something to keep in mind, I would probably repot it into a pot that only provides around an inch or two on all sides of the loph as it will cut the moisture levels to a more suitable point. By the look of it, there is a lot of room in that pot which will result in much more water retention and more chance of rot. You would be able to keep it in that one however, as long as you keep watering to an absolute minimum and as long as there is a bit of sand and non-organic material to assist with drainage.

agree that's why I find it hard to believe that it was galerina that poisioned the lad....Liberty caps are hunted in grass meadows and fence lines in tufts of grass in Autumn....I don't think galerina's are even fruiting at the same time of year as liberties.... From Stamets' Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World (in the Comments section about Psilocybe semilanceata): From THIS site: Galerina and Amatoxin (from HERE): Galerina containing psilocybin? (from HERE too): NEVER EAT GALERINA MUSHROOMS! I posted the psilocybin information because I think it was previously mentioned in this thread and is something I'd never heard of before. We all know wikipedia can be lacking in credentials, so please DO NOT EVER CONSUME GALERINA MUSHROOMS, EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE. Essentially, Galerinas could certainly be the culprits in this instance. Being that they contain amatoxins seems to indicate that they are likely to have been consumed due to mis-ID. The bit about one species containing psilocybin is certainly interesting. I think I've drilled it in hard enough that they are not to be consumed

Yeah, this was originally a 'who was the first member on The Corroboree' thread. I was going to reply USTE, but felt it was giving Teotz unnecessary crap. Who would have thought he'd turn it into something about his very own forum? More importantly, who's keen to sign up?!

Dumb fuckers! Magic Mushrooms didn't kill him! He ate some freaking Amanitas! It's not uncommon for people to die of Amanitas, why is this a big deal? Sorry Teotz, but WTF are you talking about? Where is your source for this claim, and if it is speculation, could you please STATE that it is?? This is misinformation, and something that you have been warned about time and time again. It's getting frustrating mate. I would be suprised if this is the result of psiloX related compounds - it sounds more likely to be the result of a misidentification (certainly probable if it is amanotoxin that was the culprit) or perhaps a genuine case of active mushrooms reacting very negatively with other medication (and giving a false positive for amanotoxin). I would be very interested to see if it were a case of them being legitimate P. semilanceata and causing death. Either way, it is a very unfortunate case and I feel for this person's family and friends. It was probably a horrible last few hours too. Edit: Teotz, the reason why this is a big deal is that a media report is stating that Psilocybe semilanceata killed a person who indicated positive for amanotoxin. Considering P. semilanceata does not contain amanotoxin (from my limited knowledge of lib caps), this is a pretty odd claim. The fact that they are claiming Psilocybes killed a person is also a pretty odd claim.

I popped my sub-cherry today Finally after some 3 yrs of hunting I stumbled across about 7 little ones with blue legs! Such a happy chappy!! These look the goods, but without a definite bluing reaction, one cannot be certain (this is easier to tell in the flesh than via a photo). I can only see a tiny bit of bluing on the second from the right in the 2nd pic. It should be clearly blue when bruised (sometimes taking hours to show true), but that said, people have supposedly found subbies that don't blue and have still been active. I would run with the rule 'if you're not certain, throw em back'. Congrats, if they are subs!

Is it the hairs that give it away or the colour? Pilosocereus is quite easy to differentiate from Trichocereus due to its general appearance (macroscopic characteristics). The epidermal (skin) colour, spination patterns and spine colour are all key things to examine when trying to differentiate between the two groups of cacti. Pilosocereus azureus are very common, so you get to know them quite quick

First of all, welcome Check out this thread for a great starters overview of the Lophophorae. anhalonium lewenii v koehresii = Lophophora koehresii anhalonium lewenii v texensis = Lophophora williamsii var. texensis (original material should be from southern Texas if name is genuine) anhalonium lewenii v ziegler = the zieglerii variant has been mentioned a few times online (maybe hit the search engine), but probably a williamsii variety (possibly based on collector name or location). I wouldn't hesitate to ask the person you got them from about their history. There could be a great story, and if not, no harm in asking. As Teotz mentioned, those names are very out of date, but some older collectors tend to use outdated names and others may use them to make sales when Lophophora sales are prohibited. Anhalonium lewenii is generally considered L. williamsii these days.

Ya really think it is L. fricii? Yes, but that is based only on the grey epidermis and the current rib pattern. Like Kada said, hard to be sure without a better pic (as awesome as this one is) and a flower. But I'd be suprised if it didnt have a gorgeous, dark pink flower, confirming L. fricii. You can see a little difference between the one in question and the obvious L williamsii at the front - see the greyer appearance, as well as being more of a velvet sort of skin, rather than the smooth, dark green of a williamsii or a pale green/yellow of diffusa. But it is always hard to make a solid ID until the mature rib pattern has formed and flowers are the clincher in IDing. All this said, I've seen L. williamsii look exactly like that while young and turn out more like the big one at the front. All a bit of guess work at this stage, but I definately dont agree with it being called an outdated synonym

What do you guys think? Fricii. Awesome pic BTW.