The genus Psilocybe contains some 180 species (with new species still being discovered) found within a broad range of habitats. With the growing acceptance of psilocybin’s medicinal potential, people are researching the genus in more detail. One of the species that draws attention—due to its potency and ease of outdoor cultivation—is Psilocybe azurescens.

It is worth noting that harvesting Psilocybe azurescens is a potential felony that is enforced by local law enforcement agencies. The cultivation of Psilocybe azurescens is illegal in many countries and considered “manufacture.”

Psilocybe Azurescens, a.k.a. Flying Saucer Mushroom, Blue Angels, Azzies, or Indigo Psilocybe

Psilocybe cubensis (Earle) Singer is the most well-known species of the genus Psilocybe. It is a tropical/subtropical species that often grows in cow dung. They feature a robust stem, a brown/yellow head, and an annulus resembling a skirt. P. cubsensis are incredibly simple to grow and were popularised by Terrence McKenna’s “5 grammes in quiet darkness”; this is something you would likely not want to do with Psilocybe azurescens!

Common names for Psilocybe azurescens include Azzies, Astoriensis, Flying Saucers, Blue Runners, Blue Angels, and Indigo Psilocybe. Once you “get your eye in,” Azurescens’ caramel-colored caps, brilliant white stems, and large umbo (the “nipple-like” feature in the middle of the cap) are highly recognisable. Many Psilocybes may seem identical to other LBMs (little brown mushrooms) to the untrained eye. The basic recommendation is to be familiar with the characteristics of both the species you are seeking and those you are not. Members of the genus Galerina, for instance, may be lethal, as can many other similar-looking plants.

Discovery of Psilocybe Azurescens: Strains in Oregon

According to legend, a group of Boy Scouts camping near the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon discovered them in 1979. Some commentators believe that local foragers probably referred to them as Psilocybe astoriensis or Psilocybe cyanescens var. “astoria ossip” prior to this time. In 1995, mycologist Paul Stamets and his colleague Jochen Gartz described and named “Psilocybe azurescens” after Stamets’ son Azureus, who was named after “Azure,” the colour that psilocybin mushrooms bruise when damaged.

Azurescens grows naturally in a small portion of the west coast of North America, primarily in Oregon near the delta of the Columbia River. They have been discovered in Washington, California, and British Columbia, and online groups are now disseminating them across the country. Stamets has suggested that they may have been introduced by debris washed down the Columbia from the old-growth forests upriver. Their small natural distribution has sparked a debate over whether or not they are an introduced species.

Azurescens are known to prefer the area next to the seashore amid coastal dunes, particularly among clusters of the coastal grass Ammophila maritima and lignicolous woody flotsam and jetsam swept downstream. They are found growing on deciduous wood chips and/or sandy soils rich in ligneous detritus in the interior of the country. They may grow in dense clusters (cespitose) or singly (gregarious). Azurescens produce a thick and broad mycelial network. Their mycelium is very resilient, adhering firmly to their myceliated (colonised) substrate (the substance in which the fungi’s “roots” develop).

According to the book Psilocybin Mushrooms Of The World by Paul Stamets, their fruiting season begins with the onset of cooler weather in late September and lasts until “late December and early January.” As temperate wood-loving Psilocybes, they can endure temperatures between -4 and 20 degrees Celsius (25 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit).

What do Psilocybe Azurescens Look Like? 

Azurescens are closely related to Psilocybe cyanescens, Psilocybe allenii, the Australian species Psilocybe subaeruginosa, and New Zealand species Psilocybe weraroa. In appearance, they most closely resemble P. cyanescens and P. subaeruginosa.

The border of the cap is often even, striate (meaning the skin is thin enough to show where the gills connect the cap underside), and sometimes light blue or azure in colour. The azurescens cap does not create the famous sine-wave-shaped edge that is characteristic of P. cyanescens.

The stem (formally known as the stipe) may range in length from nine to twenty centimetres and in thickness from three to six millimetres. Usually, the stem is white, but as it ages, it becomes filthy grey or brown. The stem consists of fibrous, cartilaginous, mycelium-like structure. The base of the stem thickens toward the ground and often contains coarse, white mycelium and rhizomorphs.

Young specimens have a cobweb-like white partial veil covering the top. This partial veil disappears as the cap grows, with the border of the cap sometimes maintaining a transient white edge and an annular zone on the top portion of the stem that is often sprinkled with purple-brown spores.

Blue bruising is a key distinguishing characteristic of the genus Psilocybe; all sections of Azurescens, including the gills, bruise intensely blue or indigo-black when wounded.

Azurescens Spore Print

Learning how to obtain spore prints is also vital for correctly identifying various mushroom species. Different types of mushrooms have varied gill patterns and spore hues. Foragers may utilise these traits to identify the species of the mushroom they have gathered, which helps avoid unintentional mushroom poisoning. In addition to blue bruises, the colour of the spores may help identify psilocybe mushrooms. Most Psilocybe spore prints are dark purplish-brown to purplish-black in hue. In contrast, psilocybe imitators may have rust or cream-colored spore prints, which are indicative of a potentially toxic mushroom.

Azurescens vs. Cubensis: Psilocybe Azurescens Effects and Potency

Psilocybe cubensis, the extremely cosmopolitan species grown in cupboards and under beds all over the world, is more likely to be a household name. Unlike Psilocybe cubensis, Psilocybe azurescens is robust! They can be intense, highly visual, potentially hyperdimensional, and will leave you saying, “Whoa…. What occurred! ”

Psychonauts (or psilonauts) should be cautious when ingesting these potent fungi, as a single dried gram, or even a few dried mushrooms, could be a lethal dose. Their potency has also made them a popular choice for microdosing, as only small amounts are required to produce the desired effects.

According to Stamets and Gartz, P. cubensis contain between 0.14 and 0.42 percent psilocybin and 0.37 to 1.30 percent psilocin, whereas P. azurescens contain approximately 1.78 percent psilocybin, 0.38 percent psilocin, and 0.35 percent baeocystin. Significantly more psilocybin than psilocin is present in Azurescens (psilocybin is more stable and degrades more slowly than psilocin), so that after a few months of storage in a cool, dark environment, the mushrooms tend to retain the majority of their original potency.