Psilocybe ingeli

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Psilocybe ingeli
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Hymenogastraceae
Genus: Psilocybe
Species:
P. ingeli
Binomial name
Psilocybe ingeli
B. van der Merwe, A. Rockefeller & K. Jacobs

Psilocybe ingeli is a species of psilocybin-containing mushroom which was identified in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa and was described along with Psilocybe maluti in 2024. [1] [2] Psilocybe Ingeli is named after the Ingeli mountain range, where the type specimen was found. It's a saprobic species, deriving nutrients from decomposing organic matter, a trait common within the genus Psilocybe. [2] It is the second species of psilocybin-containing mushroom to be observed in Africa, following Psilocybe natalensis and preceding Psilocybe maluti. [2] The production of psilocybin in Psilocybe Ingeli is thought to serve as a biochemical defense mechanisms against fungal predation, consistent with patterns observed in other members of the genus. Whereas Psilocybe maluti was found to have entheogenic use by local indigenous people where it was discovered, one of the first known instances of hallucinogenic mushroom use by indigenous people in Africa, such use was not described in the case of Psilocybe ingeli. [2] Psilocybe ingeli's closest known relative is Psilocybe keralensis . [2]

Contents

Description

The fruiting body is characterized by a hemispheric to convex caramel-brown cap that lightens to gray as it dries and shows blue bruising when hand;ed - a reaction typical of psilocybin-producing muthrooms. The gills are light gray when young, darkening to brown as spores mature, and the spores pringt is dark purople-brown. The slender stipe ranges from three to seven centimeters in length, with a white to caramel coloration and a white mycelial base that also bruises blue when damaged [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Moosa-Battey, Rm (2025). "Psilocybin: revealing the enigmas of a revolutionary fungi". SA Pharmaceutical Journal. 92 (1): 11–16. doi:10.36303/SAPJ.0982. ISSN   2221-5875 . Retrieved 2 November 2025. There are now six known indigenous species of psychedelic mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe, after two new species from southern Africa were described. With about 140 identified species, psilocybe is one of the most well-known and researched genera of hallucinogenic mushrooms worldwide.2 The two new species are identified as Psilocybe ingeli and Psilocybe maluti by researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and mycologists in a paper that was published in the journal Mycologia.2 [...] Cultural use of the Psilocybe maluti species, which was found in Lesotho's highlands, has been documented.2 As one of the first hallucinogenic mushrooms with confirmed indigenous uses in Africa, P. maluti (locally known as koae-ea-lekhoaba) is reportedly incorporated into spiritual practices by Basotho traditional healers.2
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 van der Merwe B, Rockefeller A, Kilian A, Clark C, Sethathi M, Moult T, Jacobs K (2024). "A description of two novel Psilocybe species from southern Africa and some notes on African traditional hallucinogenic mushroom use". Mycologia. 116 (5): 821–834. doi:10.1080/00275514.2024.2363137. PMID   38953774.
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