How to identify Common Bluish Psilocybe

To correctly identify Common Bluish Psilocybe (Psilocybe caerulescens), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   Initially conic to campanulate, expanding to convex or planoconvex, often with an acute papilla or umbo; 1-4 cm (0.4-1.6 inches) in diameter. Color varies from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, often hygrophanous, fading to straw yellow or whitish when dry. Surface is smooth, sometimes slightly striate at the margin when moist, becoming viscid when wet. Bruises blue readily.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnexed to adnate. Close to subdistant. Grayish to purplish-brown at maturity, with whitish edges. Can show bluing where bruised, especially near the attachment to the stem.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   Cylindrical, often slightly enlarged at the base, 3-9 cm (1.2-3.5 inches) long and 0.2-0.5 cm (0.08-0.2 inches) thick. Whitish to yellowish-brown, often darkening towards the base. Surface is smooth to fibrillose, sometimes covered with fine white hairs (mycelium) at the base. Hollow. Bluing intensely when handled or damaged, especially towards the base. A partial veil is present in young specimens, leaving an evanescent fibrillose annulus or annular zone that quickly disappears.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Whitish to yellowish-brown, bluing intensely when bruised or exposed to air. Thin and rather fragile.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Small to medium-sized agaric, typically bluing significantly upon handling or injury.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Gregarious or caespitose, often found in disturbed soils, rich in organic matter. Commonly associated with landslides (hence 'Derrumbe'), road banks, cornfields, and coffee plantations. Often grows directly on soil or on highly decomposed woody debris.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, viscid when wet, often hygrophanous.

Growth Form

Gregarious to caespitose (clustered).

Spore Print

Dark purplish-brown to blackish-brown.

Body color

Yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, fading to straw yellow; bluing intensely upon bruising.

Odor

Farinaceous or indistinct.

Flesh bruises

Intensely blue to blue-green.

Height

3-9 cm (1.2-3.5 inches)

Cap Diameter

1-4 cm (0.4-1.6 inches)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnexed to adnate.
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, sometimes slightly enlarged at the base.
• Stem surface: Smooth to finely fibrillose, often with fine white mycelial hairs at the base.
• Ring: An evanescent fibrillose annular zone is sometimes present when young, but quickly disappears, leaving no persistent ring.
• Stem cross-section: Hollow.

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