Learn about the 2 major and 4 minor genera of psilocybin-containing magic mushrooms — Psilocybe, Panaeolus, Conocybe, Inocybe, Pluteus, and Gymnopilus.
There are more than 180 different species of psychedelic mushrooms.
Psychedelic mushrooms are surprisingly common.
Regardless of where you live, there are likely to be magic mushrooms endemic to the area. The downside is that there are plenty of toxic lookalikes too.
What’s the Difference Between a Species & A Strain?
Species refer to a grouping of individual organisms that can reproduce together. For example, all Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms can be bred together to produce offspring, but Psilocybe cubensis and Psilocybe azurescens cannot.
Magic mushroom strains are subgroups of different phenotypes or growth patterns within a given species. This may include differences in the color, size, and potencies of organisms all contained within the same species.
For example, there are over 100 individual Psilocybe cubensis strains, such as B+ strain, Orissa India, golden teachers, etc. All of these strains have slightly different growth habits and appearances but are all still considered members of the Psilocybe cubensis species.
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20231209204243im_/https://tripsitter.com/wp-content/uploads/mushrooms-species-thin-1-1024x248.png)
We can use humans as an analogy. A race is essentially the same as a strain because it refers to a subgroup of people with different characteristics but is still included under the same species (Homo sapiens). A Caucasian person can reproduce just as easily with an Asian as any other human. However, there are clear phenotypic differences between Caucasians and Asians (such as differences in bone structure and skin coloration).
Summary: Top 10 Magic Mushroom Species Ranked By Potency
Species Name | Psilocybin Content | Psilocin Content | Total Active Ingredients |
Psilocybe azurescens | 1.78% | 0.38% | 2.16% |
Psilocybe semilanceata | 0.98% | 0.72% | 1.70% |
Psilocybe bohemica | 1.34% | 0.11% | 1.45% |
Psilocybe baeocystis | 0.85% | 0.59% | 1.44% |
Psilocybe zapotecorum | 0.30% | 1.00% | 1.30% |
Psilocybe samuiensis | 0.73% | 0.52% | 1.25% |
Psilocybe cubensis | 0.63% | 0.60% | 1.23% |
Psilocybe cyanescens | 0.85% | 0.36% | 1.21% |
Panaeolus cambodginiensis | 0.55% | 0.60% | 1.15% |
Psilocybe tampanensis | 0.68% | 0.32% | 1.00% |
Psychedelic Fungi Genera
There are nearly 14,000 species of fungi around the world, with new species continuing to be discovered yearly.
A surprising number of these species produce the psychoactive ingredients psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. In the Psilocybe genus alone, nearly 100 species of mushrooms are recognized to contain psychedelic ingredients.
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20231209204243im_/https://tripsitter.com/wp-content/uploads/Distribution-of-Psilocybin-Containing-Species-by-Genus-1024x725.png)
Other species of mushrooms contain separate psychedelic compounds, such as ibotenic acid and muscimol in the Amanita muscaria mushroom — or ergot alkaloids (lysergamides similar to LSD) in the ergot fungus (Claviceps spp.).
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