Stropharia aeruginosa, commonly known as the blue-green stropharia,[1] or verdigris agaric, is a medium-sized green, slimy woodland mushroom, found on lawns, mulch and woodland from spring to autumn. The edibility of this mushroom is controversial; some sources claim that it is edible, while others claim it to be poisonous, although effects are little known and its toxic constituents undescribed.
The cap is convex, broadening, and becoming umbonate with age. It is 2–8 centimetres (3⁄4–3+1⁄4in) wide. At first it is a vivid blue/green, and very glutinous (slimy), with a sprinkling of white veil remnants[3] around the edge. The colour in the gluten fades, or is washed off as it matures, and it becomes yellow ocher,[3] sometimes in patches, but mostly at the centre. Finally, it will lose the blue-green coloration completely. The white stem[3] is quite long and of uniform thickness. It has a fragile brown/black ring, and below this the stem is covered in fine white scales, or flakes. The gills are initially white, then clay-brown, and sometimes have a white edge. The spore print is brownish-purple, and the oval spores 7–10 x 5μm.[4]
Stropharia pseudocyanea (Desm.) Morgan – a smaller; slighter, but strikingly similar grassland species, with a very fleeting ring.
Psilocybe species stain blue and lack fluffy stems.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Stropharia aeruginosa in the Czech Republic
This mushroom is common in grassy woods, and on roadside verges in Britain, Europe, Asia (Iran)[6] and parts of North America, growing on rotting wood. It particularly favours wood-chip mulches in gardens, and parks.
Edibility and toxicity
The verdigris agaric is reported as poisonous in many guidebooks printed in the Western Hemisphere,[1][7] but the effect of poisoning and toxic constituents are unclear.[8]
According to some European guidebooks the verdigris agaric is edible, but undesirable to some due to a mildly spicy taste.[9]
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