Psilocybe australiana

This species is most common in Australia — especially in gardens in coastal regions of the continent.

Psilocybe australiana prefers the wood from Pinus radiata trees, which is often used as a mulch for gardens and alongside park trails. You can sometimes find these mushrooms poking up through the mulch after a few days of rain.

The psilocybin and psilocin content is unknown, but the psychoactive effects of these mushrooms are considered weak to moderately potent.

Psilocybe australiana Specs:

Psilocybe aztecorum

The Nahuatl people of Mexico and Central America used this magic mushroom species for ceremonial purposes. They referred to these shrooms as apipltzin — which loosely translates to “little children.”

You can find these mushrooms throughout the high mountains of Mexico, with some samples being reported as high as 4000m in elevation — the highest ever reported for Psilocybe mushrooms.

These shrooms prefer pine forests where they’re sometimes seen protruding out of fallen pine cones.

The psilocybin and psilocin content is still unknown for this species. Albert Hofmann reported the actives at concentrations of just 0.02% — but the samples he was using were nearly 2-years old. Most likely, the psilocybin content is much higher as these mushrooms are considered moderately to highly active.

Psilocybe aztecorum Specs:

Psilocybe azurescens

The common names for these mushrooms are “flying saucer mushrooms,” “blue runners,” or “azzies.”

Psilocybe azurescens is hands down the strongest species of Psilocybe mushrooms currently known. They’re nearly three times as potent as psilocybe cubensis — producing powerful psychoactive effects at doses as low as 1 gram of dried shrooms.

This species can be found on the West Coast of North America. They’re common in California, Oregon, and Washington, and some people have even found them growing as far north as British Columbia.

P. azurescens can withstand colder winters than most Psilocybe species but struggle in regions that dip below freezing for more than a couple of days at a time.

Despite how strong these mushrooms are, they’re rarely available from mushroom vendors or spore suppliers because of how hard they are to cultivate indoors. Some people have found success growing these mushrooms outdoors, but you’re limited to specific regions with climates these mushrooms can endure.

Psilocybe azurescens Specs:

Psilocybe baeocystis

Psilocybe baeocystis can be found in wooded areas, especially in regions with lots of Douglas fir trees.

This is the species in which the alkaloid known as baeocystin was first discovered. However, the story behind its discovery is a bit tragic.

A group of individuals who took wildcrafted mushrooms thought to be Psilocybe baeocystis experienced severe mushroom poisoning. A child in the group even died from the incident, and several others were hospitalized.

Researchers investigated the mushrooms in search of a toxic ingredient that could be held responsible for the poisoning and found baeocystin. This compound is only toxic in very high doses, and several studies have confirmed it’s safe in the dosages listed in magic mushrooms.

Expert mycologists believe the poisoning wasn’t the result of the Psilocybe mushrooms but rather a common look-alike such as a species of Galerina or Amanita.

The common name for this species is “Knobby Tops” because of the dark, wavy, gelatinous caps.

Psilocybe baeocystis Specs:

Psilocybe bohemica

The common name for this species is “The Bohemian Psilocybe.”

This mushroom can be found in deciduous forests that contain lots of birch and hornbeam trees throughout central Europe.

The shrooms have lightly colored caps and white stems and produce a greyish-purple spore print.

Psilocybe bohemica Specs:

Psilocybe braziliensis

There isn’t much information on this species — and we still don’t know the average psilocybin or psilocin content of these mushrooms.

However, mycologists believe this species has particularly high psychoactivity based on the intensity of the bluing reaction when touched. This reaction only happens in mushrooms that contain psilocybin or psilocin.

Psilocybe braziliensis can be found in tropical environments such as Brazil or other central and South American forests.

Psilocybe braziliensis Specs:

Psilocybe caerulescens

This species of mushroom has two common names — “Derrumbes” or “Landslide Mushrooms”. The name comes from the fact that these mushrooms tend to pop up after a landslide after much of the existing foliage has been wiped out. It’s likely the mushrooms take the influx of dead and decaying plant material after a landslide to spread its spores in search of more abundant food sources.

This species was first reported from a sample taken in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1923. It wasn’t until R. Gordon Wasson was given a sample of these mushrooms on his infamous trip to Mexico in the 1950s that it really became popular.

Psilocybe caerulescens is a popular species used by shamans in Mexico around the Sierra Madre mountain range, where they grow most abundantly.

The psilocybin and psilocin content of this species is markedly low, but these mushrooms are much more powerful than they’re given credit for.

Psilocybe caerulescens Specs:

Psilocybe caerulipes

The common name for this mushroom is the “Blue Foot Mushroom” because of the blue base of the stem.

This species is hard to find, but once you’ve found them, keep coming back for more as these shrooms will continue to pop up in the same location year after year.

The most common place to find these mushrooms is around rivers in hardwood forests in the midwest US and Canada. There are reports of this species popping up in parts of Europe as well — but it’s much less common.

The psilocybin and psilocin content of this species remains unknown, but the potency is reported to be comparable to  Psilocybe cubensis.

Psilocybe caerulipes Specs:

Psilocybe cubensis

If you’ve ever tried magic mushrooms, there’s a very high chance the species you used was Psilocybe cubensis.

This species is extremely common — found naturally on all continents short of Antarctica. They’re also the easiest species to cultivate, produce high yields, and are notably potent.

This species was first reported by R. Gordon Wasson. He published a piece in Life magazine in 1957 in which he described his experience taking ceremonial psychoactive mushrooms with a shaman on a trip to Mexico. This marked the first time a Westerner had been allowed to take part in the ceremony.

Wasson’s entry in Life magazine was reportedly a catalyst for other famous psychonauts‘ entry into the world of psychedelics, including Alan Watts, Terence McKenna, and Alexander Shulgin.

After the trip, Wasson sent a sample of these mushrooms (along with Psilocybe mexicana) to Albert Hofmann — the man who discovered LSD. It was Hofmann that discovered and documented the structure of psilocybin, psilocin, and two other minor psychedelic compounds from these samples.

Psilocybe cubensis aren’t the most potent species of magic mushrooms, not by a longshot. In fact, Paul Stamets‘ report in his book Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World lists them at number seven in terms of potency within the Psilocybe genus.

With that said, P. cubensis are strong enough to reliably induce powerful psychedelic experiences with as little as two grams of dried fruiting bodies.

Psilocybe cubensis Specs:

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa can be found growing around coastal extending from Northern California up to British Colombia, Canada.

This species like growing in regions with lots of lupines near floodplains and river estuaries.

The psilocybin content isn’t well known, but the concentration of active ingredients is much higher in fresh samples than dried samples. They’re considered moderately potent when fresh and weakly active when dried.

Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa Specs:

Psilocybe cyanescens

The common name for this species is “wavy caps” because of the characteristic wavy appearance of these mushrooms. This is one of the key distinguishing features that make this mushroom much easier to identify than other species of Psilocybe mushrooms.

Elsie Wakefield first identified wavy caps in 1946, but she was reportedly harvesting these mushrooms long before that.

Psilocybe cyanesecens is one of the most widespread members of the genus. Some experts believe they originated in Europe or possibly somewhere in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. However, today these mushrooms can be found on just about every continent on Earth.

You’ll find these mushrooms in areas with lots of decaying wood, including the sides of trails, or in gardens using wood chips as mulch. This wood-loving fungus is thought to have spread so far and wide by traveling on lumber.

Psilocybe cyanescens Specs:

Psilocybe mexicana

This species is commonly referred to as “Pajaritos” (little birds) in Mexico. They’re small but highly potent magic mushrooms.

A unique feature of these mushrooms is their ability to produce both magic mushrooms and magic truffles (sclerotia).

Experts believe this was the predominant species used by the Aztec people, where it was referred to as “Teonanacatl” — meaning “flesh of the gods.”

You can find this mushroom growing in wet regions of Southern US and Mexico at elevations ranging from sea level to 1800 m. They prefer areas with lots of dung or other decaying matter. Unlike other dung-loving mushrooms, Psilocybe