Laura Smith
Blue mushrooms are a rare occurrence, and while they may seem like something out of a fairytale, some do exist in real life. The blue-green elf cup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens) is a tiny cup-shaped mushroom that occurs in temperate forests throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. Another example is the sky blue mushroom (Entoloma hochstetteri), which is native to New Zealand and has a distinctive all-blue colour. While blue mushrooms are not common, they can be found in various habitats, including woodlands, meadows, gardens, and along roadsides. These mushrooms have inspired curiosity, folklore, and even practical applications in fields such as textile design and woodwork.
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What You'll Learn
Blue mushrooms are rare
Blue mushrooms are a rare occurrence in nature. While there are many varieties of mushrooms, blue is an unusual colour for them. This may be because the animals that spread mushroom spores do not typically see blue, and so would not be attracted to blue mushrooms. However, while rare, blue mushrooms can be found in woodlands, meadows, gardens, and along roadsides.
One example of a blue mushroom is Entoloma hochstetteri, also known as the blue pinkgill, sky-blue mushroom, or werewere-kōkako in Māori. This species is native to New Zealand, where it is common in forests throughout the country. The mushroom has a distinctive all-blue colour, while the gills have a slight reddish tint from the spores. The blue colour comes from azulene pigments, which are also found in some marine invertebrates. The mushroom is featured on the New Zealand fifty-dollar note, making it the only banknote in the world to feature a mushroom.
Another blue mushroom is the blue oyster mushroom, which is edible and highly prized for its savoury flavour and meaty, chewy texture. It is often used in seafood-inspired dishes. A third example is the blue-green elf cup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens), which occurs in temperate forests throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. This mushroom is cup-shaped rather than having a stipe-and-cap fruiting body formation. It stains the wood it grows within a vibrant turquoise colour, and this pigment has colour fastness measurements equal to commercial dyes.
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Entoloma hochstetteri, the sky-blue mushroom
Entoloma hochstetteri, commonly known as the sky-blue mushroom, is a species of mushroom native to New Zealand. It is named after Ferdinand von Hochstetter, a German-Austrian naturalist and geologist who made significant contributions to the scientific understanding of New Zealand's natural history. The Māori name for the mushroom is "werewere-kōkako", as its colour is similar to the blue wattle of the kōkako bird.
The sky-blue mushroom is known for its distinctive and striking blue colour, with a slight greenish tinge to its cap, which can range from light to dark blue. The cap is typically 1-2 cm in diameter, although some sources state it can be as large as 4 cm. The cap has a conical to bell shape, becoming more convex as the mushroom matures, and the surface can feel slightly sticky when moist. The gills of the mushroom are pale blue, turning pinkish-red as the spores mature. This unique aesthetic has made it culturally significant in New Zealand, even featuring on the country's fifty-dollar note and a set of stamps in 2002.
Entoloma hochstetteri grows in native forests with a rich canopy and a dense layer of leaf litter, providing the moist and shaded environment that the mushroom requires. It is commonly found in broadleaf and podocarp forests and fruits from January to July. While it is native to New Zealand, it has also been reported in India and Australia, although it is unclear whether these are the same species or if E. hochstetteri is endemic to New Zealand.
The toxicity of Entoloma hochstetteri is currently unknown, although many related Entoloma species are known to be toxic. Researchers are studying its genetic makeup, particularly the genes responsible for its blue coloration, which could have applications in natural food dyes. Due to the potential risk of toxicity, it is recommended to avoid consuming any wild mushrooms unless they are positively identified as safe by an expert.
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Chlorociboria aeruginascens, the blue-green elf cup
Blue-colored mushrooms are a rare occurrence, and one such variety is the Chlorociboria aeruginascens, commonly known as the blue-green elf cup. This fungus is a widespread genus of fungi that produce very small, cup-shaped, blue-green structures. The specific epithet aeruginascens comes from Latin and means 'becoming blue-green', which is what happens to wood that becomes infected with this fungus. The blue-green pigment produced, called Xylindein, is unique and not seen anywhere else in nature.
The blue-green elf cup is a saprobic fungus, which feeds off of decaying organic matter. It is not considered a "true" wood rot fungus, as it does not directly cause damage to cell walls but occupies space that other wood-rot fungi have previously damaged. This makes it useful for staining wood without worrying about degrading it. The wood infected with Chlorociboria aeruginascens has long been used in decorative woodworking, such as Tunbridgeware and intarsia, an inlaying process similar to marquetry.
Chlorociboria aeruginascens is one of two species recorded in the genus Chlorociboria in Britain and Ireland, the other being Chlorociboria aeruginosa. Both result in green staining, with the former being larger and more common. However, the fruit bodies of the two species are challenging to differentiate with the naked eye, and a microscope is needed to observe differences in spore length and size. The stipe of Chlorociboria aeruginascens is typically less than 3 mm long, and the spores are spindle-shaped and smooth, measuring 5–8 by 0.7–2.8 μm. The spore print is white, and the abundant paraphyses are 55–95 by 1.5–2 μm.
The blue-green elf cup occurs in temperate forests throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. It is a stunning sight to behold while strolling through the forest, and its ability to produce a vibrant and colourfast pigment has captivated many, including textile designers interested in sustainable alternatives to synthetic dyes.
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Amanita muscaria, the fairy tale mushroom
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a distinctive, red and white mushroom with a colourful history rooted in mythology and lore. It is one of the most recognisable fungi in the world, native to the Northern Hemisphere's temperate and boreal forests. It has a symbiotic relationship with trees, helping them uptake minerals and, in return, receiving carbohydrates from the trees, which allow it to grow.
The name 'fly agaric' comes from its traditional use as an insecticide. The toxic mushroom cap was mixed with milk to attract and kill flies, an alternative to chemical pesticides. It has also been hypothesised that the flies seek out the fly agaric for its intoxicating properties. The mushroom's main psychoactive ingredient is the compound muscimol, which works by inhibiting neuronal activity. Deaths from Amanita muscaria are very rare, but it can cause poisoning, especially in children and those seeking its hallucinogenic effects.
Amanita muscaria has appeared in art and literature since the Renaissance, becoming iconic in fairy tales, children's books, and media like the Super Mario games and Disney's Fantasia. It has influenced literary depictions of altered perception, most notably in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It has also been featured in paintings since the Renaissance, often depicted in garden ornaments and children's picture books as gnomes and fairies, such as the Smurfs.
In the 1970s, a German botanist named Georg Wilhelm Steller noted that reindeer were attracted to Amanita muscaria and would easily become addicted. In the Scandinavian Peninsula, the indigenous Sami people had a longstanding tradition that persisted through the 19th century. They would wait in their houses on the Winter Solstice to be visited by shamans, who would perform healing rituals using the hallucinogenic mushroom.
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Blue oyster mushrooms
In addition to the blue oyster mushroom, there are other types of blue mushrooms, such as the blue pinkgill (Entoloma hochstetteri), native to New Zealand, and the blue-green elf cup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens), found in temperate forests throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. Blue-coloured mushrooms are considered a rare occurrence, possibly due to the lack of widespread use of this colour by mushrooms.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, blue fairytale mushrooms are real. Amanita Muscaria, also known as Fly Agaric, is a species of blue mushroom that is often described as fairytale-like.
Blue fairytale mushrooms have a bright red or orange cap with white spots and white gills. They can grow to 20cm across and 30cm tall and have a savoury smell.
Blue fairytale mushrooms are native to the Northern Hemisphere and can be found in temperate and boreal forests under Birch, Pine, and Spruce trees.
Yes, Amanita Muscaria is considered toxic to humans and is not suitable for consumption.
Yes, there are several other types of blue mushrooms, including the Blue Oyster mushroom and the Blue-Green Elf Cup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens). While some blue mushrooms are edible, such as the Blue Oyster mushroom, the toxicity of others is unknown, such as the Entoloma hochstetteri, also known as the Sky Blue Mushroom.
