About this fungus
Blue Ringer is a fungus in the Hymenogastraceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A small brown wood-chip mushroom that may show blue-green bruising on the stem and a dark ring zone from spores.
What to check
Record the habitat, bruising, thin veil or ring, and a purple-brown spore print. Never use bruising alone and do not rely on photographs for species confirmation.
Variation
Wet caps are darker and translucent-striate, then fade markedly as they dry. Bluing can be weak or absent.
Lookalikes
Deadly Galerina can grow in similar habitats and even in mixed patches. It has rusty-brown spores rather than purple-brown, but specialist confirmation is still needed.
Habitat and range
Most strongly associated with the Pacific Northwest, often in landscaped wood chips, lawns and other disturbed woody substrates.
Food safety
Psychoactive.