When you think about magic mushrooms, you are likely thinking of Psilocybe cubensis, perhaps the most popular species. Where these fungi came from and how they evolved their psychoactive properties is somewhat of a mystery. But a newly discovered sister species could provide a clue.
In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers describe Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, a magic mushroom found in Africa that is similar to P. cubensis but a unique species. The new species has been misidentified as P. cubensis or other mushrooms for years, but the new study suggests that the two species likely shared a common ancestor some 1.5 million years ago.
“Our study suggests that the evolutionary cradle of the world’s most famous magic mushroom may lie in Africa, where collections that were previously misidentified now represent a distinct indigenous species,” says Breyten van der Merwe, a Ph.D. student in chemical engineering at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a co-author on the study. “New descriptions like these reveal both diversity and how little we still know about African fungi.”
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Psilocybe ochraceocentrata is found growing on cattle dung in the grasslands of southern Africa and Zimbabwe.
Talan Moult
Interestingly, both P. cubensis and P. ochraceocentrata rely on dung—whether from cattle, bison, goats, horses, or other animals—to spread their spores. The researchers used “museomics,” or genetic analyses of mushroom species already held in museums or other collections, to determine that the two species likely diverged some 1.5 million years ago.
That timing aligns with other “major ecological and faunal transitions,” including herbivore migrations from Africa to Europe and Asia, the researchers note in the study, suggesting that changes in the dung landscape may be related to the species’ split.
The study doesn’t answer how P. cubensis arose in the Americas. According to the authors, it’s possible that its ancestor crossed the Atlantic via atmospheric currents, insects or even ancient animal migrations, but more research is needed to say for sure.
“Future population genomic and demographic analyses will be key to testing these hypotheses and clarifying the species’ dispersal history,” the authors write.