Supplementary material from "Discovery of the closest free-living relative of the domesticated “magic mushroom” Psilocybe cubensis in Africa "
OpenAlex – January 01, 2026
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The psychedelic mushroom *Psilocybe cubensis* has an origin far older than previously assumed, predating cattle domestication. Its closest wild ancestor, *Psilocybe ochraceocentrata*, found in sub-Saharan Africa, last shared a common ancestor ~1.5 million years ago. Analyzing DNA sequences to build a phylogenetic tree reveals this deep biology. Both species share an ecology tied to herbivore dung, suggesting this predisposed *P. cubensis* to its current global geography. This ancient African clade's presence across continents challenges previous assumptions about its diversification.
Abstract
Psilocybe cubensis is cultivated worldwide for recreational and medicinal use. Described initially from Cuba in 1904, there has been substantial debate about its origin and diversification. The prevailing view, first proposed by the Psilocybe expert Gastón Guzmán in 1983, is that P. cubensis was inadvertently introduced to the Americas when cattle were introduced to the continents from Africa and Europe (~1500 CE), but that its progenitor was endemic to Africa. We report the discovery of the closest wild relative of P. cubensis from sub-Saharan Africa, Psilocybe ochraceocentrata. DNA sequences from type specimens of all known and accessible African species of Psilocybe, multi-locus phylogenetic and molecular clock analysis strongly support recognizing African specimens as a new species that last shared a common ancestor with P. cubensis ~1.5 million years ago (~710k - 2.55M years ago 95% HPD), predating cattle domestication. Both species are associated with herbivore dung, suggesting coprophagy likely predisposed P. cubensis to its present specialization on domesticated cattle dung. Ecological niche modeling using bioclimatic variables for global records of these species indicates historical presence of the ancestor of P. cubensis across Africa, Asia, and the Americas over the last 3 million years. This discovery sheds light on the wild origins of domesticated P. cubensis and provides new genetic resources for research on psychedelic mushrooms.