Psilocybe cyanescens Wakefield
Trans. Brit. Myc. Soc. 29 141. 1946.

Common Name: none

• Pileus

  Cap 2-4.5 cm broad, convex, becoming nearly plane with a low umbo; margin striate, often wavy, sometimes upturned in age; surface smooth, sticky when moist, hygrophanous, brown, fading to yellow-brown or buff; flesh thin, brittle in age, bruising blue.

• Lamellae

  Gills adnate to seceding, close when young, subdistant in age, pale cinnamon brown, becoming dark grey-brown, edges lighter than the faces, mottled from spores at maturity.

• Stipe

  Stipe 3-6 cm tall, 3-6 mm thick, equal to sometimes enlarged at the base, the latter with conspicuous thickened mycelium (rhizomorphs); surface white, smooth to silky, bruising blue; veil fibrillose, forming a superior, evanescent hairy, annular zone.

• Spores

  Spores 9-12 x 6-8 µm, elliptical, smooth, with an apical pore; spore print purple-brown to purple-grey.

• Habitat

  Scattered to gregarious on woody debris, leaf litter, and wood chips; fruiting from late summer in watered areas to mid-winter.

• Edibility

  Hallucinogenic.

• Comments

  Psilocybe cyanescens is recognized by a chestnut-brown, striate, wavy-margined cap that soon fades to yellow brown or buff, and blue-staining fruiting body. Because of its hallucinogenic properties, it is sometimes the subject of experimentation, a potentially dangerous practice because of toxic look-alikes in Galerina, Conocybe and Inocybe.

• References

  Bas, C., Kyper, Th. W., Noordeloos, M. E. & Vellinga, E. C. (1999). Flora Agaricina Neerlandica -- Critical monographs on the families of agarics and boleti occurring in the Netherlands. Volume 4. Strophariaceae, Tricholomataceae. A. A.Balkema: Rotterdam, Netherlands. 191 p.
  Guzmán, Gastón (1983). The Genus Psilocybe. J. Cramer: New York, NY. 439 p.
  Singer, R. & Smith, A.H. (1958). Mycological Investigations on Teonanácatl, the Mexican Hallucinogenic Mushroom. Part II. A Taxonomic Monograph of Psilocybe, Section Caerulescentes. Mycologia 50: 262-303.
  Watling, Roy & Gregory, Norma M. (1987). British Fungus Flora: Agarics and Boleti. Vol 5. Strophariaceae & Coprinaceae p.p.: Hypholoma, Melanotus, Psilocybe, Stropharia, Lacymaria, & Panaeolus. Royal Botanic Garden: Edinburgh, Scotland. 121 p.

• Other Descriptions and Photos
  • Tom Duffy: Psilocybe cyanescens (CP) -- very old sporocarps showing strong bluing
  • Paul Stamets:Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Fred Stevens:Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Fred Stevens:Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Michael Wood: Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Pilze, Pilze, Pilze: Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Mushroom Observer: Psilocybe cyanescens (CP)
  • Arora (1986): p. 371 (D), plate 88 (CP)
  • Arora (1991): p. 130 (D & CP)
  • Benjamin: chapt. 17 (Toxicity Info), plate 11 (CP)
  • Lincoff: p. 721 (D), plate 31 (CP)
  • Stamets: p. 111 (D & CP)
  
  

  (D=Description; I=Illustration; P=Photo; CP=Color Photo)