Spore secrets: African ‘magic mushroom’ finally reveals its origins

After decades of mystery, the evolutionary tale of the world’s most famous “magic mushroom”, Psilocybe cubensis, is finally coming to light and it’s rooted in Africa. 

Scientists from Southern Africa and the US have uncovered a previously unknown relative, the cryptic Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, thriving in the grasslands of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Their findings are documented in a paper published in the journal, Proceedings B of the Royal Society.

Named for the ochre-yellow centre of its cap, the distinctive P. ochraceocentrata last shared a common ancestor with P. cubensis — the most widely known, collected and cultivated magic mushroom in the world —  about 1.5 million years ago. 

This overturns the long-held belief that P. cubensis only made its way to the Americas in the 1500s, with European-introduced cattle.

Breyten van der Merwe, a mycologist and PhD student at Stellenbosch University, said the discovery shed new light on the wild origins of the mushroom that had been cultivated and celebrated worldwide. 

“Even though P. cubensis and P. ochraceocentrata look alike, they are genetically, ecologically and chemically distinct,” he said.

Interestingly, P. ochraceocentrata is not entirely unknown to cultivators. For years, it has been grown under the names “NSS” (Natal Super Strength) or “Transkei”. 

“It’s one of the most popular strains because it’s potent and easy to grow,” Van der Merwe said. “But until now, nobody realised it was a completely separate species.”

An international team, including Dr Alexander Bradshaw (Clark University), professor Bryn Dentinger (University of Utah Health), Dr Keaton Tremble (Duke University) and Dr Cathy Sharp (Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe), traced the fungus’ lineage using DNA from modern collections and historic specimens, employing phylogenetic analysis, molecular clock dating and ecological niche modelling.

Sharp first collected specimens in Zimbabwe in 2013, highlighting how Africa, the original home of the mushrooms, remained vastly underexplored when it came to fungal diversity.

The authors suggest several possible scenarios for when and how the species diverged many millions of years ago. 

Around this time, grasslands were diversifying in South America and grazing herbivores, which provide food for these mushrooms to grow on, were expanding out of Africa and into Eurasia. 

It is speculated that the ecological changes opened niches for the separate speciation of P. cubensis and P. ochraceocentrata.

Van der Merwe is expanding the research to local psychoactive plants and fungi, aiming to isolate compounds for testing on PTSD, anxiety and depression models.

The researchers said their discovery shed light on the wild origins of domesticated P. cubensis and provided new genetic resources for research on psychedelic mushrooms.

In their study, they noted that the mushroom genus, Psilocybe, was widely known due to its species eliciting psychedelic effects when consumed. 

Psilocybe mushrooms were being considered as treatment for a wide range of ailments that contributed to a growing global mental health crisis. “However, due to current regulations limiting their collection, possession and exchange, scientific characterisation of their diversity and biology has been limited.” 

Although about 160 described species of true Psilocybe — those containing psilocybin — exist across the world, most belong to the Americas with limited distributions. 

“In contrast, only seven species of Psilocybe (including P. ochraceocentrata) are native to Africa, ranging from the cedar forests of Northern Africa to the grasslands of South Africa. Due to comparatively less mycological survey work in Africa, more species likely remain undocumented across the continent.”