SPECIES ATLAS · COMPARE
Panaeolus cyanescens vs Psilocybe cyanescens
Same second word, different genera. The shared “cyanescens” does not make the two names synonyms, and one of them, Panaeolus cyanescens, is also called “Blue Meanies”.
A comparison of names and records, not an identification guide. No name, picture or description can show that a wild mushroom is safe, and poisonous mushrooms are mistaken for magic mushrooms. If someone may have eaten a wild mushroom, call a poison centre without waiting for symptoms: 1-844-POISON-X in most of Canada, 1-800-463-5060 in Quebec. Call 911 if they’re unconscious, not breathing or having a seizure.
Side by side.
| Panaeolus cyanescens | Psilocybe cyanescens | |
|---|---|---|
| Genus | Panaeolus | Psilocybe |
| Named | Sacc., 1887 | Wakef., 1946 |
| First published as | Agaricus cyanescens Berk. & Broome (1871), replaced synonym (nom. illegit.) | Its current name |
| Other names in the records | 2: Agaricus cyanescens Berk. & Broome (1871), Copelandia cyanescens (Sacc.) Singer (1951 [1949]) | None listed |
| Type specimen from | Sri Lanka | England, Surrey, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
| Psilocybin record | confirmed (several modern analyses) | confirmed (several modern analyses) |
| Analyses on file | 4, 1 found nothing | 4 |
| Analysed from | 1992 to 2026 | 2003 to 2026 |
| World records (GBIF) | 1,738 | 3,967 |
| Most records from | United States, Mexico, Australia | United States, United Kingdom, Canada |
| Canadian records (GBIF) | 0 | 160GBIF held 160 Canadian records on 25 October 2026, 153 from British Columbia and 1 from Ontario (128 community observations, 32 preserved specimens). |
From the atlas records, last checked . GBIF counts are occurrence records, not a measure of how common a mushroom is.
The psilocybin record, analysis by analysis.
Every analysis the atlas could verify, oldest first, including results that found nothing. No amounts are given: they vary between collections, and this is not a potency comparison.
Panaeolus cyanescens
- 1992
Reported Psilocin, psilocybin, serotonin and urea in material of various origins (Stijve), cited by He et al. 2026 and Gotvaldová et al. 2022 as confirming psilocybin in the species Stijve 1992, Persoonia 15: 117-121 (cited in He et al. 2026)
- 2000
Reported Psilocybin and psilocin measured in seized mushrooms identified by morphology; P. cyanescens had the highest levels in the sample Musshoff, Madea & Beike 2000, Forensic Sci. Int. 113: 389-395
- 2025
Confirmed Psilocybin and psilocin measured in cultivated strains confirmed as P. cyanescens by ITS, including strains sold under other names Cohen et al. 2025, Sci. Rep. 15: 13822
- 2026
Not detected Psilocybin not detected in a 29-year-old fungarium specimen (HMAS63187); the authors suggest sample age as the cause He et al. 2026, IMA Fungus 17: e167329
Psilocybe cyanescens
- 2003
Confirmed Psilocybin and psilocin detected in Czech material Stříbrný, Borovička & Sokol 2003, Soud. Lék. 48: 45-49 (Europe PMC record)
- 2022
Confirmed Psilocybin and psilocin detected in fungarium specimens, including decades-old ones Bradshaw et al. 2022, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 88: e01498-22
- 2022
Confirmed Psilocybin, psilocin, baeocystin, norbaeocystin and aeruginascin detected in four European collections Gotvaldová et al. 2022, Int. J. Mol. Sci. 23: 14068
- 2026
Confirmed Psilocybin and psilocin quantified in indoor-cultivated material whose identity was checked by DNA testing Windsor et al. 2026, J. AOAC Int. 109: 37-50
What the records don’t show.
Panaeolus cyanescens: The positive modern data come from cultivated strains, and the one wild specimen tested in 2026 showed none, possibly because of its age.
Psilocybe cyanescens: Guzmán (1983) notes that the first American analysis filed under this name (Benedict et al. 1962) used a mixture of P. cyanescens and P. stuntzii, so early figures can't all be assigned to this species.