Funeral Bell vs Blue Ringer
Galerina marginata compared with Psilocybe stuntzii — how to tell them apart in the field.
This is a dangerous confusion.
At least one of these species is toxic. Never eat a wild mushroom based on a photo comparison alone — verify with local experts.
Funeral Bell
Galerina marginata
Deadly
Blue Ringer / Stuntz's Blue Legs
Psilocybe stuntzii
ToxicPsychoactive
How to Tell Them Apart
DEADLY POISONOUS — contains amatoxins. Grows in the same wood chip habitats and can fruit directly alongside P. stuntzii. Has a rusty-brown spore print (not purple-brown), a more prominent and persistent ring, and does NOT bruise blue. A spore print is essential to distinguish them safely.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Funeral Bell | Blue Ringer |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 1.5-5 cm across. Convex when young, flattening with age. Honey-brown to tawny when moist, drying to a pale tan from the center outward (hygrophanous). Smooth, slightly sticky when wet. Margin often shows faint striations when moist. | 1-4 cm across. Convex to broadly convex or nearly flat with age. Dark olive-brown to chestnut-brown when moist, drying to yellowish-tan or straw-colored from the center outward. Hygrophanous with a characteristic dark marginal band. Surface smooth, slightly sticky when wet. Pellicle separable. |
| Gills | Attached to slightly decurrent. Crowded, yellowish-brown becoming rusty brown as spores mature. Edges may appear slightly lighter. | Adnate to slightly decurrent, close. Pale brown when young, becoming dark purple-brown as spores mature. Edges may appear slightly lighter. |
| Stem | 3-8 cm tall, 3-8 mm thick. Pale above the ring, darker brown below. Has a fragile, membranous ring (annulus) that often darkens with deposited spores. Base may have whitish mycelial threads. | 3-6 cm tall, 2-4 mm thick. Whitish to pale brownish, darkening toward the base. A fragile partial veil leaves a thin annular zone that often catches purple-brown spores, creating the "blue ring" when it bruises. Bruises blue-green. |
| Spore print | Rusty brown to orange-brown — a critical identification feature that separates it from Psilocybe species (which have purple-brown to black spore prints). | Dark purple-brown. CRITICAL: must distinguish from Galerina marginata's rusty-brown spore print. |
| Bruising | — | Blue-green bruising on stem and cap, often visible on the annular zone. The ring area frequently appears blue-green from combined spore deposit and bruising. |
| Odor | Mealy or flour-like when fresh. Some describe it as faintly earthy. | — |
| Habitat | Strictly saprotrophic — feeds on dead and decaying wood. Found on logs, stumps, buried roots, and wood chip mulch. Prefers conifer wood but also appears on hardwoods. Common in forests, parks, gardens, and landscaped areas with wood chip beds. | Wood chips, bark mulch, freshly landscaped areas, garden beds, and new lawns with wood-chip amendments. Also on decaying conifer and deciduous wood debris, sawdust, and composted bark. Common in urban and suburban settings. |
| Season | Fruits from spring through late autumn, with peak fruiting in September-November in temperate regions. Can appear year-round in mild, wet climates like the Pacific Northwest. | September through December in the Pacific Northwest. Peak fruiting in October and November. Can appear as early as late August after the first fall rains. |
Found one of these in the wild? Don't rely on memory — identify it from a photo with Orangutany and check it against both species before you touch it.