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magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), photo
Photo
Psilocybe

Magic mushroomPsilocybe cubensis

gold cap

Psilocybe cubensis is a psychoactive mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. It grows on herbivore dung in tropical and subtropical regions. People look it up for identification, its risks, and its ceremonial history.[4][5][8][11]

Psychoactive: controlled substance in Mexico. For information only. Never eat a wild mushroom identified only from photos.

  • Season in Mexico
  • HabitatHerbivore dung
  • FamilyHymenogastraceae

How do you identify magic mushroom?

magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), features to identify it
Photo: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist (cropped) · Veracruz, Mexico
Photo
magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), features to identify it
Photo: Oscar Israel Rodríguez Ortiz, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist (cropped) · S.L.P., México
magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), features to identify it
Photo: Erick Vélez Sánchez, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist (cropped) · México
magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), features to identify it
Photo: Erick Vélez Sánchez, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist (cropped) · México
magic mushroom (Psilocybe cubensis), features to identify it
Photo: Manuel Nicolás Madrigal Pérez, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist (cropped) · México
Cap
2 to 5 cm across, conical and bell-shaped at first, then convex or flat; brown with an edge that fades to white.[3]
Gills
White at first, becoming violet-gray or purple-brown.[3]
Stem
Hollow and white, with a swollen base; it may turn yellow.[3]
Blue staining
Its tissues show pronounced blue staining.[4]
Height
The fruiting body stands 4 to 15 cm tall.[3]

What happens if someone eats magic mushroom?

Consumption is discouraged. This is a psychoactive mushroom subject to legal control. Avoid using this page as permission to ingest it.[6][11][16]

Where and when does magic mushroom grow?

It grows on cow or bull dung and on fertilized plant remains.[2]

It has a broad distribution across tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The states reflect records compiled by CONABIO.[1][5]

Baja CaliforniaBCSonoraSONChihuahuaCHHCoahuilaCOANuevo LeónNLBaja California SurBCSSinaloaSINDurangoDURZacatecasZACSan Luis PotosíSLPTamaulipasTAMNayaritNAYJaliscoJALAguascalientesAGSGuanajuatoGTOQuerétaroQROHidalgoHGOColimaCOLMichoacánMICEstado de MéxicoMEXCiudad de MéxicoCDMXTlaxcalaTLXVeracruzVERYucatánYUCGuerreroGROMorelosMORPueblaPUETabascoTABCampecheCAMQuintana RooROOOaxacaOAXChiapasCHP
States with records (12/32): Sonora, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacán, Estado de México, Veracruz, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas

See the mushroom map

In Mexico, Article 245, section I, of the Ley General de Salud lists psilocybin and psilocin as controlled psychotropic substances. Article 248 establishes prohibitions, and Article 249 provides for authorized scientific research. Psilocybin appears in Schedule I of the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971. Traditional ceremonial use is documented in Indigenous communities; its existence does not imply general authorization for consumption.[16][17]

About the name

Stropharia cubensis is a historical synonym. Molecular classification places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae. A 2026 study described Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, from Africa, as the closest wild relative of P. cubensis.[1][5][21]

Fun facts

  • Cubensis refers to Cuba, where the species was described as Stropharia cubensis in 1906.[20]
  • Wasson's published account brought international attention to Mazatec veladas and had social consequences for María Sabina and her community.[9]

Frequently asked questions

[11]

[3][4]

[16]

[18][19]

[22]

[9]

Sources

  1. San Isidro (Psilocybe cubensis)
  2. Stropharia cubensis Earle (Stropharia cubensis Earle) | ENALLTerm
  3. La in-corporación cultural: análisis semiótico del cuerpo mazateco
  4. New taxonomical and ethnomycological observations on Psilocybe s.s. (Fungi, Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetidae, Agaricales, Strophariaceae) from Mexico, Africa and Spain
  5. Phylogenetic inference and trait evolution of the psychedelic mushroom genus Psilocybe sensu lato (Agaricales)
  6. Listado de hongos tóxicos de México
  7. Galerina marginata
  8. Alcaloides en la cultura: plantas y hongos alucinógenos mexicanos
  9. Ethical Concerns about Psilocybin Intellectual Property
  10. Gastón Guzmán (1932-2016)
  11. Tripping on shrooms: What does the science tell us?
  12. Classic Psychedelic Coadministration with Lithium, but Not Lamotrigine, is Associated with Seizures: An Analysis of Online Psychedelic Experience Reports
  13. Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety
  14. Adverse experiences resulting in emergency medical treatment seeking following the use of magic mushrooms
  15. Psilocybin: From Serendipity to Credibility?
  16. Ley General de Salud
  17. Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2021
  18. Riesgo de recolectar y consumir hongos silvestres
  19. ¿Cómo realizo una llamada al 9-1-1? #911Emergencias
  20. Psilocybe cubensis
  21. Discovery of the closest free-living relative of the domesticated 'magic mushroom' Psilocybe cubensis in Africa
  22. Exploring Psilocybe cubensis Strains: Cultivation Techniques, Psychoactive Compounds, Genetics and Research Gaps

Written with AI help from the cited sources. A second model checked every fact against those sources and removed what they did not support.

Image credits

Photos are under free licenses (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

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