Species

How many species are there?

There is no single number. Each count measures something different.

About 165 true Psilocybe

A 2022 DNA study put Psilocybe in the strict sense at about 165 species, but psilocybin had been measured in only about 45 of them.

300-plus across genera

Reviews that add Panaeolus, Gymnopilus, Inocybe, Pluteus and other genera speak of at least 300 psychedelic mushroom species.

1983

The first world count

Gastón Guzmán’s monograph considered 467 names and accepted 144 Psilocybe species as valid, 81 of them hallucinogenic.

One genus became two

DNA showed two lineages. Psilocybe was kept for the bluing species, with the liberty cap as its type, and the non-bluing group became Deconica.

Genes that jumped

A 2018 study found the same gene cluster in three distantly related mushrooms, and argued it had jumped between fungal lineages.

The full explainer

A count, not a field guide

A species count says nothing about safety, and several genera include poisonous species. Our explainer sources every number.

Educational only. Pictures are Shroomverse AI illustrations and film stills.