Flying Saucer vs Wavy Cap
Psilocybe azurescens compared with Psilocybe cyanescens — 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.
How to Tell Them Apart
Also psychoactive, also on wood in the PNW. P. cyanescens has a more distinctly wavy cap margin and is typically smaller. P. azurescens has a broader, flatter cap with a more pronounced umbo and tends to be found in sandier, more coastal habitats. Both bruise blue and have dark purple-brown spore prints.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Flying Saucer | Wavy Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 3-10 cm across. Convex, expanding to broadly convex or flat with a pronounced central umbo. Caramel to chestnut brown when moist, drying to a pale straw color or buff (strongly hygrophanous). Surface is smooth, slightly viscid when wet, often with a silky sheen when dry. Bruises intensely blue-black. | 2-5 cm across. Convex when young, flattening and developing the characteristic wavy, undulating margin with age. Caramel-brown to chestnut when moist, drying to pale buff or yellowish from the center outward (strongly hygrophanous). Surface is smooth and slightly sticky when wet. Bruises blue-green when damaged. |
| Gills | Broadly attached (adnate) to slightly descending. Two-toned: pale brown at first, darkening to dark chocolate-brown or purple-brown. Bruise blue-black when damaged. Edges may be slightly lighter. | Broadly attached to the stem (adnate). Pale brown when young, darkening to dark purple-brown as spores mature. Edges often slightly lighter. Bruise blue when damaged. |
| Stem | 9-20 cm tall, 3-6 mm thick. White, silky-fibrous, often curved at the base. Bruises intensely blue throughout. Has a fibrous annular zone from the partial veil, often stained dark by deposited spores. Base densely covered with white rhizomorphs that bind into the sandy substrate. | 3-8 cm tall, 3-6 mm thick. White, often with a silky fibrous texture. Bruises strongly blue when handled. Usually has a thin, fragile partial veil that leaves a faint ring zone that catches purple-brown spores. Base often has white rhizomorphs extending into the wood chip substrate. |
| Spore print | Dark purple-brown to purple-black. | Dark purple-brown to nearly black. This separates it from the deadly Galerina marginata, which has a rusty brown spore print. |
| Odor | Farinaceous (mealy), similar to fresh flour or cucumber. | Farinaceous (mealy or flour-like) when fresh. |
| Habitat | Saprotrophic on decaying wood buried in sandy coastal soils. Associated with European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) and coastal dune environments. Grows in sandy, wood-rich substrates, including driftwood deposits, woody debris piles, and wood chip mulch near the coast. Strongly associated with the maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest coast. | Saprotrophic on lignin-rich wood chips and mulch. Thrives in landscaped areas, park paths, garden borders, playgrounds, and any setting where hardwood or conifer chips have been spread. Also found on woody debris along riparian corridors. Prefers cool, moist conditions. |
| Season | Late September through January, with peak fruiting in late October through November. Triggered by autumn rains and cool coastal temperatures between 5-15C (40-60F). Some years produce massive flushes; other years are sparse, depending on rainfall timing. | Autumn through early winter, typically October through January. Fruiting is triggered by the first cold rains after temperatures drop below 15C (60F). In the Pacific Northwest, peak season is November. Can fruit into February in mild years. |
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.