Wavy Cap vs Blue Ringer
Psilocybe cyanescens 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.
Wavy Cap
Psilocybe cyanescens
ToxicPsychoactive
Blue Ringer / Stuntz's Blue Legs
Psilocybe stuntzii
ToxicPsychoactive
How to Tell Them Apart
Also grows on wood chips in the Pacific Northwest. Larger (cap 2-5 cm) with a distinctive wavy, undulating cap margin when mature. More potent. Also bruises blue and has purple-brown spore print.
Side-by-Side Identification
| Trait | Wavy Cap | Blue Ringer |
|---|---|---|
| Cap | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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, 3-6 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. | 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 | Dark purple-brown to nearly black. This separates it from the deadly Galerina marginata, which has a rusty brown spore print. | 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 | Farinaceous (mealy or flour-like) when fresh. | — |
| Habitat | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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.