Psilocybin-containingPluteaceaeNorth America
Pluteus americanus
American blue-foot shield
North American shield mushroom of rotting hardwood with a blueing stem base, split from P. salicinus.
Regional status: Native to North America
- Cap
- Convex to flattened, 20–70 mm, grey to grey-brown, finely fibrillose.
- Gills
- Free, white then salmon-pink.
- Stem
- 40–90 mm, whitish, blueing at the base.
- Flesh
- White, blueing at the base.
- Spore print
- Salmon pink
- Habitat
- Rotting hardwood logs and woody debris.
- Distribution
- Eastern and central North America.
- Season
- June – October
- Bruising
- Blue-green at the stem base.
- Odour
- Mild radish-like
- Potency
- Moderate
Key features
- ▪Free gills turning pink
- ▪Pink spore print
- ▪Blue stem base on rotting wood
Field tests
- Spore print is pink, never purple-brown
- Scratch the stem base for blueing
Edibility
Psilocybin-containing; not a food species.
Warning
Pink-spored shields are easily confused with deadly white-spored Amanita when young — check for a volva.
Photo and feature-based identification is probabilistic. Never consume a wild mushroom on the basis of an app result — confirm with an experienced mycologist.