Panaeolus is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi, unrelated to Psilocybe at the genus level. GBIF listed 85 accepted species on 25 October 2026 (GBIF). Psilocybin has been confirmed in only a few, among them Panaeolus cyanescens and Panaeolus cinctulus, and three others tested in a 2022 survey showed none (Gotvaldová et al., 2022).
Its psilocybin genes probably arrived from elsewhere. A 2018 study found the same gene cluster in Panaeolus cyanescens as in two unrelated psilocybin mushrooms (Reynolds et al., 2018), and a 2024 study traced several transfers out of Psilocybe while leaving open an earliest origin in Panaeolus (Bradshaw et al., 2024).
Its names are untidy. Copelandia was once used for some species and is now treated as a synonym (Species Fungorum). Earlier positive reports for Panaeolina foenisecii may reflect mix-ups with a Panaeolus species (Gotvaldová et al., 2022). The genus still has no molecular revision, so how many species carry the cluster is unknown.
Sources
- GBIF species API: Panaeolus
- Gotvaldová et al., 2022, International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Reynolds et al., 2018, Evolution Letters
- Species Fungorum: Panaeolus cyanescens synonymy
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