Psilocybe caerulescens

01Overview

Source-checked

P. caerulescens is retained here as a species represented in a primary multigene study and a small Mexican chemical-assay collection. The account is preliminary: modern descriptive synthesis, original-name publication and comprehensive synonymy still need work. [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny] [gotvaldova-2022]

This is a scientific reference record, not field-identification guidance.

Arranged fruit bodies with broad dark gills and curved stems on leafy ground. — *Psilocybe caerulescens*
Jalisco, Mexico · 2011-08-08
Source identification: Psilocybe caerulescens. Mushroom Observer observation 84252.
Photograph: Alan Rockefeller · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0
Resized and re-encoded; full composition retained.

02Nomenclature

Accepted name: Psilocybe caerulescens
Authority: Murrill
Family: Agrocybaceae
Publication year: 1923
Basionym: Not yet researched — verification required
Taxonomic status: accepted
MycoBank identifier: Not yet researched — verification required
Index Fungorum identifier: Not yet researched — verification required

Synonyms (0 recorded names)

No verified synonyms entered. This does not indicate that synonyms do not exist.

Nomenclatural sources: [ncbi-891393-2026] [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny] [niskanen-2026]

Research completeness

taxonomy: Human reviewed — J Dale, 2026-09-29
Current name and scoped inclusion checked against database and primary literature. This does not claim exhaustive synonymy or resolution of every species boundary. NCBI is used only for name identity and type metadata; its retrieved family placement is not adopted. Unchecked Index Fungorum/MycoBank identifiers remain blank.
overview: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
description: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
ecology: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
distribution: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
chemistry: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
molecular: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
history: preliminary
Selected passages checked; comprehensive synthesis remains pending.
conservation: not researched
Conservation assessment research pending; no threat category inferred.

03Taxonomic description

Taxonomic description. These characters are presented for scientific reference and are not intended as field-identification guidance.

Macroscopic characters

Not yet researched

A source-checked macroscopic description has not yet been assembled for this account.

Microscopic characters

Source-checked

The 2013 study illustrates P. caerulescens basidiospore wall structure in Figure 3a. Its placement in the mexicanae subclade contrasts with the morphology-based Cordisporae classification listed for it in Table 2. A complete species-level microscopic description remains pending. [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny]

04Distribution and ecology

Source-checked

The 2022 study documents Mexican collection PS-50, collected 11.08.2016 and analysed in April 2018. This is collection provenance, not a complete range or an occurrence dataset. [gotvaldova-2022]

Known range: Not yet researched
Countries with documented material: Not yet researched
Habitats: Not yet researched
Substrates: Not yet researched
Ecological associations: Not yet researched
Seasonality: Not yet researched

Ecological context

Source-checked

The 2013 phylogenetic study discusses P. caerulescens and P. mexicana in tropical and subtropical meadows and forests of the Americas. This is a broad literature statement; precise substrate associations and local habitat records need further synthesis. [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny]

Occurrence records

822 georeferenced records, shown as 454 distinct positions at this scale. Records carry 12 country codes, 2 of which rest on a single record. Full-precision records are available from the citable source dataset.

Recorded observations are not equivalent to true biological range. Absence of records does not demonstrate absence of a species.

Occurrence provenance & map methods

Source: https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.dhgzxa
Licence / retrieval date: CC BY-NC 4.0 / 2026-09-15
Coordinate uncertainty: Reported for 774 of 822 plotted records. Median 29 km; 9 records at 30 m or finer; coarsest 506 km. Points are plotted at source precision, so precision varies by orders of magnitude within this map.
Sensitive records: unreviewed
Countries with georeferenced records: US (381) · CO (189) · MX (127) · EC (51) · CR (35) · PR (21) · PE (6) · BR (4) · GP (3) · MQ (3) · AR (1) · PA (1)

Points are plotted at source precision on an equirectangular projection. Two records falling on the same rendered pixel appear as one mark; the downloadable dataset is not reduced. Records published under names this reference has not reconciled, including synonyms, infraspecific taxa and sequence clusters, are excluded rather than reassigned.

05Chemistry

Measurements belong to studies, specimens and methods. A single concentration cannot stand in for a species.

Published assays · Measurements retain their original methodological context.
Study / year	Material	Method	Record
Extensive Collection of Psychotropic Mushrooms with Determination of Their Tryptamine Alkaloids / 2022	Dried fruiting bodies	UHPLC–MS/MS (triple quadrupole; positive electrospray; dynamic multiple reaction monitoring)	Details ↓

gotvaldova-2022-caerulescens-table-1 — specimen, methods & measurements

Source location: Table 1, Psilocybe caerulescens row; sections 3.2–3.4; Supplementary Table S1, PS-50; section 2.2, Mexican species discussion
Verification: Source checked; see evidence trail
Measurement basis: dry mass
Specimen: Psilocybe caerulescens as identified in the source; whole fruiting bodies.
Material: Dried fruiting bodies
Sample size: 2
Sample counting basis: 2 fruiting bodies (fb) from 1 collection (n), as defined by Table 1.
Provenance: Mexican collection PS-50; section 2.2 explains that no fungarium material was deposited because only two fruiting bodies were available. ITS sequencing documented the collection.
Analytical method: UHPLC–MS/MS (triple quadrupole; positive electrospray; dynamic multiple reaction monitoring)
Preparation: Dried, homogenized fruiting bodies; acidified methanol extraction and re-extraction (section 3.3).
Storage: Dried material kept in darkness at 20 °C (section 3.2). Collection and analysis dates are retained below; exact storage durations are not inferred.
psilocybin: 0.225–0.31 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
psilocin: 0.341–0.413 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
baeocystin: 0.009–0.013 mg/g (range) — Dry-mass range as printed in Table 1.
norbaeocystin: not detected — Table 1 reports <LOD; not a zero concentration.
aeruginascin: below loq — Table 1 reports <LOQ; not a zero concentration.

Collections in the source

Dates retain the precision reported by the study. These collections underlie the aggregate ranges; individual concentrations have not been inferred.

PS-50 · Mexico

Collected: 11.08.2016
Analysed: April 2018
Voucher: Not reported
GenBank accession: MN901952

Fungarium ID is a dash in Table S1; accession transcribed from that table, not independently reanalysed.

This one-collection assay is not a species-wide concentration estimate. Collection and analysis dates do not establish an exact storage duration. Detection and quantification limits are distinct; no missing or censored result is converted to zero. The source gives Mexico as origin without an explicit wild-versus-cultivated designation in Table S1.

Read source record

Modern quantitative assays

Source-checked

Gotvaldová and colleagues used UHPLC–MS/MS to measure five tryptamine alkaloids. The method and preparation context accompany the assay record. [gotvaldova-2022]

Evidence assessment

Source-checked

One 2022 assay is extracted here, with its collection context and dry-mass measurements. Its small sample cannot establish a typical concentration for the species. [gotvaldova-2022]

Assessments depend on material, preparation, storage, sampling and analytical methods. Measurements are literature records, not predictions of effects.

How chemistry records are structured ↗

06Molecular evidence

Source-checked

Mexican specimen Ps-329, I.J. Franco-Galván 1 (IBUG), is represented by ITS KC669281, LSU KC669317 and rpb1 KC669342 in the 2013 study. The analysis places P. caerulescens with P. mexicana and P. samuiensis. These are published results, not a new analysis of the sequences. [ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny]

07History

Source-checked

NCBI records the name as P. caerulescens Murrill, 1923 and lists isotype MICH 12125. The 2022 assay supplement cites Mycologia 15(1):20 as its original publication. The original 1923 paper has not been inspected for this account. [ncbi-891393-2026] [gotvaldova-2022]

A place for the historical record

This account records the nomenclatural history checked so far. Broader historical research remains pending; interpretations must stay connected to their documentary sources.

Reading the scientific record ↗

08Conservation

Not yet researched

Conservation assessments have not yet been researched for this account.

Assessment status: Not yet researched
Assessment authority / year: Not verified / Not verified

Not researched by Psilocybia, not assessed by a conservation authority, and Least Concern are different states. None should be inferred from another.

09Images & specimens

The opening photograph is Figure 01. Its caption records the source identification and attribution; it is not a type specimen unless explicitly stated.

Photographs are not presented as sufficient for mushroom identification.

10References

GBIF Secretariat (2026). Psilocybe caerulescens — GBIF Backbone Taxonomy record 5242497; accessed 29 September 2026. . Source record ↗
Source class: taxonomic database.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Backbone name record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: the strict name-match endpoint returned usageKey 5242497 as an EXACT, ACCEPTED species match, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and acceptance. The record places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae; that placement is not adopted here.
- content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Backbone name record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: the strict name-match endpoint returned usageKey 5242497 as an EXACT, ACCEPTED species match, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and acceptance. The record places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae; that placement is not adopted here.
GBIF.org (2026). GBIF Occurrence Download: georeferenced records for Psilocybe taxa (download 0000371-260915150036944). . DOI: 10.15468/dl.dhgzxa Source record ↗
Source class: primary.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Download record retrieved from the GBIF API. Key 0000371-260915150036944, DOI 10.15468/dl.dhgzxa, status SUCCEEDED, created 2026-09-15, 31,439 records drawn from 294 datasets, SIMPLE_CSV format, licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode. The DOI and the record count were confirmed against the archive held locally rather than assumed from the filename.
- doi: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  DOI read from the download record returned by the GBIF API and matched to the download key of the archive used to generate the occurrence maps.
- content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  The archive was read row by row to generate the published maps and the per-country counts. 31,208 rows carry usable coordinates and a taxonKey this reference maps to one of its own records; 231 rows fall under synonyms, infraspecific taxa or sequence clusters and are excluded rather than reassigned. Coordinate uncertainty is reported for about 90 per cent of rows, with a median near 7 km and a coarsest value above 5,000 km, so individual points vary enormously in precision. 25 per cent of the country entries derived from this download rest on a single record, and the majority of records are human observations rather than preserved specimens; counts are therefore published alongside every country.
Klára Gotvaldová; Jan Borovička; Kateřina Hájková; Petra Cihlářová; Alan Rockefeller; Martin Kuchař (2022). Extensive Collection of Psychotropic Mushrooms with Determination of Their Tryptamine Alkaloids. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23(22), 14068. DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214068 Source record ↗
Source class: primary.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Authors, title, year, volume, issue and article number match the article XML.
- doi: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  DOI in PubMed matches article-id in the primary article XML; this is an identity cross-check, not just syntax validation.
- content: verified · 2026-09-08 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Read Table 1 and its footnote, and sections 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 in the full-text XML. Supplementary Table S1 has not yet been extracted.
- content: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Rechecked Table 1, sections 3.2–3.4, and Supplementary Table S1 (13 collections in this batch). Corrected pilot locator: collection/storage is section 3.2, not 3.1. Original aggregate ranges verified against XML.
iNaturalist (2026). Psilocybe caerulescens — iNaturalist taxon 206124; accessed 29 September 2026. . Source record ↗
Source class: taxonomic database.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Taxon record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: a name query returned exactly one active species taxon named Psilocybe caerulescens with id 206124, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and active status. This is an identifier for a community observation platform, not a taxonomic authority.
- content: verified · 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Taxon record retrieved and confirmed by two independent routes: a name query returned exactly one active species taxon named Psilocybe caerulescens with id 206124, and the record endpoint was then fetched directly and agreed on name, rank and active status. This is an identifier for a community observation platform, not a taxonomic authority.
NCBI Taxonomy (2026). Psilocybe caerulescens — taxonomy record 891393, accessed 11 September 2026. . Source record ↗
Source class: taxonomic database.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Database identity and taxon identifier checked on the record page.
- content: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Current name, author and year checked; this is a database assertion, not a substitute for primary taxonomy. Family placement is not adopted from this record.
T. Niskanen; B. Dentinger; A.M. Ainsworth; I. Kytövuori; J.T. Kim; G.W. Griffith; K. Liimatainen (2026). Re-shaping the family-level classification of Agaricineae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota) using a phylogenomic approach. Studies in Mycology 113(1), 115–134. DOI: 10.3114/sim.2026.113.03 Source record ↗
Source class: primary.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Bibliographic identity inspected; publication year is distinct from retrieval date.
- content: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Family treatment Agrocybaceae, Table 1 and classification discussion inspected in the PDF. Effective online date in paper: 1 April 2026; Crossref issue date differs, so the record retains year only.
- doi: verified · 2026-09-10 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  DOI and title matched against the cited bibliographic record; not just resolver availability.
Virginia Ramírez-Cruz; Gastón Guzmán; Alma Rosa Villalobos-Arámbula; Aarón Rodríguez; P. Brandon Matheny; Marisol Sánchez-García; Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (2013). Phylogenetic inference and trait evolution of the psychedelic mushroom genus Psilocybe sensu lato (Agaricales). Botany 91(9), 573-591. DOI: 10.1139/cjb-2013-0070 Source record ↗
Source class: primary.
Source verification history
- metadata: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Authors, Botany 91(9):573–591, year 2013 and DOI match the primary PDF and Crossref.
- content: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  Read Table 2 entries Ps-329, Ps-308 and Ps-317, Fig. 1 and the mexicanae/zapotecorum clade discussion. Marker accessions are reported from the paper; no sequence reanalysis.
- doi: verified · 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Verification source
  DOI, authors, journal and pagination cross-checked against the paper and Crossref.

Claim provenance

Source checks record what was inspected. Publication approval and section review are separate editorial decisions.

Psilocybe caerulescens is retained as a species using the checked current-name assertion and its inclusion in the primary multigene study. This is a scoped editorial acceptance decision.

Fields: taxonomy.canonical_name, taxonomy.accepted_name, taxonomy.genus, taxonomy.specific_epithet, taxonomy.authority, taxonomy.publication_year, taxonomy.status

ncbi-891393-2026 — Current name and rank
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.
ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny — Table 2 and Psilocybe phylogenetic results
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

The account follows the 2026 Agrocybaceae circumscription for Psilocybe.

Fields: taxonomy.family

niskanen-2026 — Agrocybaceae treatment and Table 1
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

The extracted 2022 study contains two fruiting bodies from one Mexican collection. Limited-quantitative describes the coverage of this account.

Fields: chemistry.assays.0, chemistry.evidence_status

gotvaldova-2022 — Table 1, Psilocybe caerulescens row; sections 3.2–3.4; Supplementary Table S1, PS-50; section 2.2, Mexican species discussion
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

One 2022 assay is extracted here, with its collection context and dry-mass measurements. Its small sample cannot establish a typical concentration for the species.

Fields: chemistry.summary.text

gotvaldova-2022 — Table 1 and Supplementary Table S1
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Gotvaldová and colleagues used UHPLC–MS/MS to measure five tryptamine alkaloids. The method and preparation context accompany the assay record.

Fields: chemistry.modern_assay.text

gotvaldova-2022 — Sections 3.2–3.4
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

The 2022 study documents Mexican collection PS-50, collected 11.08.2016 and analysed in April 2018. This is collection provenance, not a complete range or an occurrence dataset.

Fields: distribution.narrative.text

gotvaldova-2022 — Supplementary Table S1, PS-50
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Fields: overview.text

ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny — Table 2, Ps-329
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.
gotvaldova-2022 — Table 1
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Fields: description.microscopic.text

ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny — Figure 3a; Table 2; discussion of section Cordisporae
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Fields: ecology.narrative.text

ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny — Mexicanae subclade discussion
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Fields: molecular.text

ramirez-cruz-2013-phylogeny — Table 2, Ps-329; mexicanae subclade discussion
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

Fields: history.text

ncbi-891393-2026 — Current name and isotype
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.
gotvaldova-2022 — Supplementary Table S2, P. caerulescens
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-11 · Psilocybia editorial. Checked against the cited passage; scope is limited to the statement and listed fields.

822 georeferenced records for this name in the cited GBIF download, plotted as 454 distinct positions and spanning 12 country codes, of which 2 rest on a single record. These are record locations, not a compiled range: no range has been researched for this account.

Fields: distribution.occurrence

gbif-download-dhgzxa-2026 — Download 0000371-260915150036944; rows matched on taxonKey
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-15 · Psilocybia editorial. Archive read row by row to generate the published map and the per-country counts. Rows under synonyms, infraspecific taxa and sequence clusters are excluded rather than reassigned.

Database identifiers for this species, recorded so a reader can retrieve the same records. The GBIF backbone still places Psilocybe in Hymenogastraceae, whereas this site follows the 2026 family revision and treats the genus in Agrocybaceae; citing the identifier is not an endorsement of that placement.

Fields: distribution.gbif_taxon_id, distribution.inaturalist_taxon_id

gbif-5242497-2026 — Backbone taxon record 5242497
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Identifier confirmed against the backbone record by two endpoints.
inaturalist-206124-2026 — Taxon record 206124
Source checked · Accessed 2026-09-29 · Psilocybia editorial. Identifier confirmed against the taxon record by two endpoints.