Are you afraid of dying by mistaking a lookalike for the real Psilocybe cyanescens?
Don’t let it deter you from enjoying some of nature’s greatest, most beautiful of gifts. This post will act as a visual comparison guide to Psilocybe cyanescens and its lookalikes.
Psilocybe cyanescens

So I figured I would start with an iconic representation of our goal here.
The ‘Wavy Caps’ are defined by their characteristic waviness after the cap has opened. In young age, the caps can look sort of like bottle caps.
Things to look for:

In the photo above, you can see the emerging bottle cap shape and the cobwebby cortina that’s about to seperate from the cap and may eventually leave a trace of an annular zone. Sometimes the zone will be purple because it catches falling spores from the lamellae (gills); also a good indicator of P. cyanescens.

Here’s a look at the gills. They are adnate which means that they are attached to the stem. The gills are tightly packed but not as tight as most Agaricus spp. They may also bruise blue.
Pholiotina rugosa

So here’s a lookalike that you definitely need to be familiar with. It contains amatoxins that will destroy your liver in a painful way until it kills you. But don’t let this deter you from finding the real magic that you desire. All you need is to be equipped with knowledge and TAKE SPORE PRINTS!
Things to look for:
Keep in mind that this mushroom also displays hygrophaneity, meaning that the cap will turn from brown, to a pale or cream color after drying.
Notice how similar its cap can sometimes resemble the waviness just like Psilocybe cyanescens.

But once you inspect further, you’ll most likely find a distinct ring around the stipe (annulus), which the true wavy caps do not exhibit.

Here is a picture that will most likely come up if you google ‘Pholiotina rugosa spore print’.
It’s a great side by side comparison of P. cyanescens and Pholiotina rugosa.

Tubaria furfuracea

Tubaria furfuracea is a quite the lookalike as it also is hygrophanous, and it also grows in woodchips.
This mushroom isn’t poisonous, but it’s not exactly a choice edible either.
What it is for sure, is an LBM just like P. cyanescens. And we’re talking about lookalikes here.
This is one of the more common lookalikes that people will request for ID in the hopes that it’s P. cyanescens.

Note that the stipe isn’t white but more along the same color and texture as the rest of the fruiting body.
They are also fairly delicate and don’t really bend like P. cyanescens would.
The spore print is a pale orange/brown color.
The picture below is also quite popular and can be found on erowid.org and shroomery.org. It’s Tubaria furfuracea held alongside P. cyanescens.


Galerina marginata

Another extremely common deadly lookalike to P. cyanescens. It also has a rusty orange spore print like Pholiotina rugosa and typically has an annulus.
Things to look for:
Notice the black bruising on the stipe in the below picture. DO NOT confuse with the blue bruising of the true P. cyanescens.

Younger specimens will typically have the margins of the caps rolled inwards. Quite different from the bottle cap shapes that young P. cyanescens displays. Refer to the young P. cyanescens photo at the top of the blog post.

[Notice the cap margins]
It can be easy to get excited at the caramel cap color when you notice it in the field, but you should know by now that that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found Psilocybe. It takes more than one precaution to be sure that you’ve found what you’re looking for.
In the end, after you’ve cross-referenced everything and done all of your own homework, make an ID request that’s called something like “ID request P. cyanescens”.
Refer to our blog post on making an ID request.
You now need not fear death or sickness when searching for Wavy Caps. Remember, knowledge isn’t power, but applied knowledge is.
Photo credits go to:
Caleb Brown
Andrew Khitsun
Martin Livezey
Ron Pastorino
Sean Westmoreland
Jacob Pulk
Comments 79
Cool blog,thanx John.
Author
Many thanks Alex
Hi John…nice work.
Will dark brown or purple spore prints always be a safe shroom to have?
Author
No. You should not rely on merely one identifying feature. Match up as many features as you can.
I agree
Nice write up.
Author
Thanks Randall
I found some fungi that meets every description provided of the “good stuff”. Still I am uncertain as of it’s edible properties, even after doing a side by side comparison (via pics). Can you help? I am very curious!
Author
Sure luvmnkee. Send me an email to john@fungiflora.com.
Are you awak right now I would like to identify this mushroom
Author
Sure.
Email me at John@fungiflora.com
Very helpful. I found some Tubaria furfuracea this morning on woodchips in Oakland. I knew they weren’t it because of stem color, but I picked them anyway as I didn’t know what they were. This helped me right away.
Author
Glad this post helped you out!
Well thanks a lot I can’t get ahold of David Aurora so he can’t identify anything but maybe you guys can. I live here in Freedom just outside of can of screws California
Author
Sure. Email us at info@fungiflora.com
Hi John. I picked some mushrooms in autumn growing I woodchip in a park. Spore print was dark purple.They look like cynesceans to me but as I just used ti Liberty caps not 100%.Can I send you a photo of dried specimens for your considered opinion?
Author
Motley,
You can email me at John@fungiflora.com. Make sure to send detailed pictures and a detailed descriptions of the mushroom including its environmental details.
Great blog!
Author
ty
Is the 1st picture a positive identification of cyanescens or their look a likes?
Wonderful spore print comparison, and I LOVE that you *encourage* arming oneself with applied knowledge and *cultivating* curiosity about mushrooms! Bookmarking this awesome resource and recommending it to everyone! Thank you SO much, from one mycophile to another!
Author
Thanks a bundle Taylor! Hopefully this bookmark has served others well!
Perfect knowledge not. Many thanks John
Author
Thanks Cobo!
I’ve got what appears to be cyanescens growing in mulch in my flower bed. If it’s the real deal will the stems stay white? Cuz the got a light brown tint towards the dirt and mulch? I also have a few pics. I could send, and how would I send them to u?
Author
It’s probably too late, but you can always email me at info@fungiflora.com
Hey John I found some mushrooms that fit every description but the bruising it doesn’t bruise any color. Is the bruising critical?
Yes, they should definitely bruise blue or a hot purple pink. Your more likely to see the pink when you did a good job not bruising them then take them to a rough rinse, when you pick them, the area where you broke the stem will almost ooze blue, it is very very common if you pick them and place on a paper towel to dry, the paper towel will have some blue staining. They will not ooze pink, the pink is only natural during growth or from very very very light bruising, any rough handling should quickly show dark blue spots, sometimes it even looks black ish so be very careful, know if your seeing blue or black, black is not a magic mushroom. Take spore prints!!! Microscopes and nitrile gloves are most strongly recommended tools for any mycology project, weather playing with identification as a hobby or whatever you risky dare devils do.
Author
The bruising isn’t critical, but it’s a major tell. Hope you were able to figure it out!
John, great blog–have been using it the past few days (novice identifier here). I live on the Olympic Peninsula–prime mushroom territory–and found some in my yard that I think are Psilocybe azurescens, but I can’t tell for sure. They were growing next to a downed tree and stump. My house is literally up against the forest (15 feet from garage) on a very wooded lot–20 minutes from the coast. My attempt at a spore print was a bust–no print, which I know isn’t characteristic of the psilocybe azurescens (I’ve struggled getting any helpful prints with anything I picked). Would it be ok to send a pic or two and see if you can offer any tips on identifying? Either way, many thanks for the helpful site.
Author
Yes David, you can always email me at info@fungiflora.com
Very helpful. Thanks
Author
You’re welcome Andrew!
Hola, tengo algunos que estoy casi seguro que son Psilocybe cyanescens, me podrías ayudar a saber ?
Author
¡Si! Siempre puedes enviarme un correo electrónico
info@fungiflora.com
This kind of awareness is very good and would benefit a lot of people in the long run.
I hope that this will progress and improve people’s lives. Thank you for sharing!
Author
Your words mean a lot to me David! Thanks a TON!
I came across some very unusual mushrooms in my potted plants. They are like a new subspecies that I just can’t find anywhere online. They look exactly like the cyanescens, leave a purple/black spore print, but the stripe is light brown/tan and there is no bruising at all when damaged.
While I have no interest in ingesting these, I was very curious what they were. If they are from the psilocybe or tubaria family I was just going to leave them be, but if sinister, I was going to treat the soil and kill them off. I’m happy to share pictures.
Psilocybe cyanescens bruising blue.
If the stipe doesn’t bruise when rolled between the fingers it’s no wavy cap.
Wish you a good hunt!
Greetings Mike
Author
Thanks for the comment Bruzza.
I don’t know if you ever “treated your soil”, but any and all mushrooms are beneficial to any soil. Perhaps if they’re not edible, you can leave them be. If they’re edible, you could enjoy a small harvest.
If they’re still around, send me pics at info@fungiflora.com
Seems like the easiest way to rule out all of these is to check if the gills are a dark grey/black or if they are white/orange/beige.
Author
Those are major identifying features, but I’m sure the most confidence would come from matching every characteristic as possible.
Thanks for reading Jason!
im not sure what a “Cortina” is.. can somone help?
I am concerned that you have these mushrooms on this page. The reason is that google grabs these images. So it is possible someone could search for what they found and see a match and assume it is safe. I suggest captioning the image itself. Especially deadly ones should say so in the image by itself. Yes, it’s not smart for someone to I’d a shroom from google images, but better safe than sorry.
Thank you so much for sharing! And educating us on the different types of mushrooms that are available and their different characteristics. It is really magical, it has endless capabilities!
I have noticed you don’t monetize fungiflora.com, don’t waste your traffic, you can earn extra bucks every month with new
monetization method. This is the best adsense alternative for any
type of website (they approve all sites), for more info simply search in gooogle: murgrabia’s tools
Tyler Andrew Wagner on Facebook I am trying to find out who best to generate a relationship in which I can learn about and experiment towards medicinal used for any psychedelic or any at all mushroom from our unparalleled paradise or fungus; but also be able to make money off of my wife and I’s last card Charlie find to get us off the streets after 6 years and two losses of kids to drugs that we could have replaced with the right amount of natural God and Gaia flora/fauna cause it is both right… I have about 500lbs of ovoideocystidiata
Hi John, thank you for such an informative blog. Would I be able to email you some pics for an ID? I’ll have a spore print pic too that should be ready by tomorrow morning, so would like to email you then if that’s ok? Many thanks!
Thanks for the such information. I really appreciate for your efforts.
Having a hard time submitting
Excellent post dude! Your post made me sure that I’ve finally found my first magic mushroom. Thanks for all the effort (and look-alike pictures, etc.)
Your words are being read across the globe! (greeting from Iran)
Hii, John, This is an awesome blog for every mushroom lover, it seems to me, it will improve people’s knowledge on mushrooms plant, they also try it. Thank you for sharing, “Write Up”
John I found cyanescens in Bandon Oregon that did not turn blue at all. I am not new to the cyanescens world I know that they were the real deal. Have you ever encountered this? I have pictures I can send you. I don’t know if they’re active I haven’t eaten these little Devils for 10 plus years. At this point I just pick morels and Boletus just curious.
Thank you John for spreading awareness on how to identify a mushroom whose misidentification is potentially very dangerous!
This article is really so much helpful. Thanks you so much for this amazing definition.
Author
Glad you liked it Jason! Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you for providing a comprehensive article about the Psilocybe mushrooms. This is definitely a good read.
Author
Thank you Sandy!
Keep in mind this is about the species P. cyanescens in particular. Though, a lot of the characteristics are similar for other wood-loving Psilocybes, make sure to research the exact species you might be looking for so as not to confuse it with the wavy caps I’ve described here.
Thanks again for reading and writing! Mush love!
Thx John, great article…
Author
You’re welcome 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Excellent overview and interesting perspective. Having been a practicing psychiatrist for almost 40 years (just retired last month) I am well aware of the marginal benefits and excessive risks of so many of our psychoactive medicines. I believe the current research and “re-research” into the potential beneficial role of psychedelics actually offers a real hope for psychiatric progress, finally. At least allow the research…
This is a good read post. Thank you for providing the details of mushroom. Mushroom is indeed magical and has a great possibility in treating depression, stress and other mental heath related disorders.
Thanks for allthe articles! I have also read in other places that psilocybes may sometimes have a “pellicle”. I wonder if this is not common enough to have it included in the ID feature list? Thanks
Pingback: How to Pick Psilocybin Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest - The Sesh
John, outstanding article that could potentially save someones life, or at least save them a lot of pain. Thank you for putting this together – especially the Tubaria Furfuracea comparison photos. Hopefully I can find some P. Cyanescens this foraging season and use this article as a reference.
ur so good at sharing knowledge John,,,,,ur sureley a God sent for we psydelics many blessings brother…..
I just ate one with black gills is it fine and how many of fresh ones do I need for an intense trip
Author
Breezy,
Thanks for the kind words!
Make sure you know EXACTLY what you’re eating before you eat it.
Hi,
could you tell me if there have been any sightings of P.Cyanescens growing in Ireland? I have planted some Azurescens and cyanescens mycelium in some woodlands in my vicinity which I imagine will most likely fruit next year. Unfortunately I only put them down in July. I had been researching how to approach it properly. Most of the information seemed to indicate that ONLY hard wood chips were suitable for colonisation so I wasted months trying to source hardwood chips in Ireland which is next to impossible as almost all of our timber here is of the Sitka spruce variety. In exasperation I spread what I had in the designated area and discovered the mycelium is spreading quite prodiguosly. I keep thinking “what if, or if only I had” planted in January when I obtained the mycelium. It would appear that the advice of hardwood chips is for optimum colonisation but it appears it is not a prerequisite by any means.
Author
Michael,
If it’s a Psilocybe that you want, you might have an easier time hunting Psilocybe semilanceata. They grow natively in pastures and grasses that have previously had cows roam through it.
How does one perform a spore print exactly? Thx
Author
Jeff,
You cut the cap from the stem and lay it over some foil to let spores drop overnight.
I wrote about it in this article: https://fungiflora.com/2016/08/03/how-to-identify-mushrooms/
Awesome post, my dude! I cant wait to “observe” some cyans
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say wonderful blog!
Hey John was wondering if you could email ne i have a couple photos and mushrooms to show you and see if i am correct with the ones i got. Davidhutchinson21@gmail.com is my email thanks
Author
David,
Feel free to email me at fungiflora1@gmail.com
Really enjoyed the article well written and great pic ref’s. Sent you an email regarding an ID would be great if you could help
John,
You may want to post a pic of Entoloma sericeum, which is another lookalike in the same dune grass habitat. I recently came across someone I know dehydrating them thinking they were P. cyanescens.!
Thank you for your knowledge! Has definatly helped me. Gonna try and find some tomorrow.