Inocybe aeruginascens

🏷️ Description

Inocybe aeruginascens is a small, mycorrhizal mushroom famous for its unique hallucinogenic properties and positive psychoactive effects. First discovered in Ócsa, Hungary, on June 15, 1965, this species stands out not only for its intriguing chemistry but also its ecological specificity and widespread yet localized distribution.

❗ Caution: While not toxic in the traditional sense, accidental ingestion can lead to unexpected psychoactive experiences. Misidentifications, particularly with Marasmius oreades, have led to several documented "unintentional intoxications." The mushroom lacks muscarine, making its effects notably distinct from other toxic Inocybe species.

🌈 Psychoactive Properties

Hallucinogenic compounds: Contains psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, and aeruginascin—a unique indoleamine exclusive to this species, thought to contribute to its euphoric effects.

Effects:

• Euphoria and lightness.

• Vivid, colorful hallucinations and spatial distortions.

• Sensations of flying and heightened spirituality.

• Duration: Approximately 5 hours, with no lasting negative effects reported.

🔎 Identification

🎩 Cap:

• Size: 0.79 to 1.97 inches (2 to 5 cm) across.

• Shape: Starts conical, then flattens with age; often retains a darker, blunt umbo.

• Color: Varies from buff to yellow-brown, with olive-green tones when fresh. The greenish hues vanish upon drying.

• Texture: Silky to fibrillose, particularly at the edges.

🍂 Gills:

• Attachment: Adnate to nearly free.

• Color: Pale brown to tobacco brown, darkening with maturity.

• Numerous and crowded.

📏 Stem:

• Size: 0.79 to 2.76 inches (2 to 7 cm) tall, 3–8 mm thick, uniform or slightly bulbous at the base.

• Color: Whitish to pale cream, bruising bluish-green, especially near the base.

• Texture: Fibrous, with fine powder near the apex.

🍖 Flesh: Thin, whitish, sometimes with bluish-green tinges.

👃 Odor: Slightly soapy or indistinct.

🟤 Spore Print: Clay brown.

🦠 Spores: Ellipsoid, smooth, 6–9.5 × 4.5 μm.

🌳 Ecology & Habitat

• Mycorrhizal associations: Forms symbiotic relationships with deciduous trees such as poplar (Populus), linden (Tilia), oak (Quercus), willow (Salix), and birch (Betula).

• Preferred soil: Moist sandy soils.

• Season: May to October.

• Distribution: Widely spread across Europe, notably in Hungary, Germany, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, and also reported in parts of North America. Common in parks, gardens, and coastal dunes.

🔬 Key Biochemical Insights

• Aeruginascin, a psilocybin analogue, is a potential mood-enhancing compound unique to I. aeruginascens.

• Alkaloid concentrations vary but are comparable to those in classic psychedelic mushrooms like Psilocybe mexicana.

🧐 Look-Alikes

1. Inocybe haemacta: Similar blue-bruising stem but prefers forested habitats.

2. Inocybe corydalina: Contains minimal psilocybin; typically found in hornbeam-oak forests.

Photo source: Youp van den Heuvel (CC BY 4.0)