Highly potent wood-loving psilocybin mushroom famous for its wavy cap margin and intense blue bruising. One of the strongest naturally occurring species in temperate climates.
ECOLOGY & HABITAT
Saprotrophic on lignin-rich woody debris, especially woodchip mulch in urban and suburban landscapes. Fruits in cool, wet autumn weather.
Distribution
Pacific Northwest North AmericaWestern EuropeNew Zealandparts of West Asia
TRADITIONAL USE
- No well-documented pre-modern indigenous use; modern popularity from 20th-century mycology and foraging
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Part of the 'cyanescens complex'. Extremely gregarious in favorable mulch beds — some patches produce tens of thousands of mushrooms.
SEASONAL WINDOW
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Wood-loving — fruits prolifically after the first cold autumn rains on woodchip mulch
GALLERY
3 images
REFERENCES
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- Stamets 1996
- Wakefield 1946
