“An Unusual, Beautiful, Blue Fungus”

(Pholiota subcaerulea)

by Ken Steffenson

Observations in the Hylebos Wetlands

I got the idea to profile this species (actually more appropriately the genus) from an article in the Winter 1994 Hylebos Highlights. Titled “An Unusual, Beautiful, Blue Fungus,” and written by Bill Bridges of the Puget Sound Mycological Society, the article reported sightings of this mushroom in the West Hylebos Wetlands as one of the pleasant surprises of that fall.

I can’t personally attest to this mushroom being present in the Wetlands, but I assume and hope that those with the skills to properly identify it will still find it there.
I had trouble with my somewhat limited research in finding detail about this species in particular, so a lot of the information in this profile applies to the entire genus Pholiota.

Appearance

Members of the genus Pholiota are gilled mushrooms with caps ranging from 2” to 10” in diameter, and they usually range in color from bright yellow to various shades of brown. P. subcaerulea is an exception in color, with a 2” cap that is blue to blue green. It also has a ring of cottony fibers on the stem, and a fibrous veil over the somewhat slimy cap.

Classification and Close Relatives

Kingdom: Fungi; Phylum: Basidiomycota; Class: Agaricanae; Order: Strophariales; Family: Strophariaceae; Genus: Pholiota; Species: subcaerulea.
Like the taxonomic identification of many species, there is controversy (well, discussion and argument at least) about the exact classification of this mushroom. Admittedly our classification system can be thought of as somewhat “artificial” (as a couple of articles about mushrooms pointed out).

Ecological Lifestyle

Mushrooms in this genus are saprophytes, which means they live on dead organic material, usually wood. The 1994 article reported sighting clusters of P. subcaerulea growing under hydrangea shrubs.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat

Members of Pholiota are widespread across North America and most of the northern hemisphere.

Uses by Humans and Animals

I didn’t find evidence of culinary use of P. subcaerulea. Many members of the genus are edible, but most are reported as ranging from poor quality to mediocre. One species, P. destuens, is classified as inedible. Since the toxicity of mushrooms within a genus can vary, it is advised (without further knowledge or research) that this species not be eaten.

Friends' member Ken Steffenson is the Publications and Website Director for the Washington Toxics Coalition.