How to identify Blue-foot Psilocybe

To correctly identify Blue-foot Psilocybe (Psilocybe caerulipes), 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.

   1-3.5 cm (0.4-1.4 inches) in diameter, convex to subumbonate, becoming broadly convex to plane with age, often with a slight papilla. Surface is smooth, viscid when moist, becoming dry. Color ranges from dark chestnut brown to reddish-brown when moist, fading to buff or yellowish-brown when dry (hygrophanous). Margins are striate when moist and often incurved when young. Bruises blue, especially at the margin.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Adnate to adnexed, close, narrow to moderately broad. Color is pallid to grayish-brown when young, becoming purplish-brown to dark purplish-brown with age due to spore maturation. Edges are often lighter.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   2-6 cm (0.8-2.4 inches) long, 2-5 mm (0.08-0.2 inches) thick, equal or slightly tapering upwards, sometimes slightly enlarged at the base. Surface is smooth, whitish to brownish, often covered with fine fibrils when young. Characteristically stains dark blue to bluish-black, especially towards the base and where handled. No annulus (ring) is present. The stem is typically solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Whitish to brownish, thin, bruising blue, particularly in the stem and cap margin.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Small to medium-sized agaric mushroom, typically solitary to scattered, sometimes gregarious.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing on decaying hardwood logs, stumps, and woody debris, particularly oak, maple, and birch. Rarely found on conifer wood. Prefers moist, shaded environments in deciduous or mixed forests.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, viscid when moist, hygrophanous.

Growth Form

Solitary to scattered, sometimes gregarious.

Spore Print

Dark purplish-brown.

Body color

Cap: Chestnut brown to reddish-brown (moist), buff to yellowish-brown (dry). Stem: Whitish to brownish, strongly blue-staining.

Odor

Farinaceous or indistinct.

Flesh bruises

Strongly blue, especially on the stem and cap margin.

Height

2-6 cm (0.8-2.4 inches)

Cap Diameter

1-3.5 cm (0.4-1.4 inches)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Adnate to adnexed.
• Stem shape: Equal or slightly tapering upwards, sometimes slightly enlarged at the base.
• Stem surface: Smooth, often with fine fibrils when young, strongly blue-staining.
• Ring: Absent.
• Stem cross-section: Solid when young, becoming hollow with age.

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