Where did magic mushrooms come from? Scientists just got closer to an answer

"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. Psilocybe ochraceocentrata is found growing on cattle dung in the grasslands of southern Africa and Zimbabwe."

Researchers have identified a previously misclassified magic mushroom species, Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, found in southern Africa and Zimbabwe. This discovery, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, reveals that this species and the widely known Psilocybe cubensis diverged from a common ancestor roughly 1.5 million years ago. The fungus grows on cattle dung in African grasslands and represents a distinct indigenous species that had been confused with other mushroom varieties for years. This finding suggests Africa may be the evolutionary origin point for the world's most famous magic mushroom species and highlights the significant gaps in scientific knowledge about African fungal diversity.

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