The American R. Gordon Wasson discovered the ritual use of psychoactive mushrooms by the native population in Mexico. In 1957, the French mycologist Roger Heim identified several of the mushrooms as Psilocybe species. In 1958, Albert Hofmann, the creator of LSD, isolated, identified, and synthesized the psychoactive compounds from Psilocybe mexicana. These indole derivatives were also found in a number of other Psilocybe species. Today, hallucinogenic mushrooms of the main genus Psilocybe from several countries with a wet climate are known. The indole alkaloids include psilocybin, baeocystin, and psilocin.

Jochen Gartz and Georg Wiedemann, Funghi Enterprise, Leipzig, Germany, have discovered a new caerulescent (bluish) Psilocybe mushroom in Germany, the Psilocybe germanica. The species was found to live in soils enriched with wood debris. It contained high amounts of psilocybin and baeocystin.

According to the researchers, the mushroom is the first species derived from wood chips that contains significant amounts of baeocystin in the absence of psilocin. Given the widespread use of mulch in parks and gardens, Psilocybe germanica might be found to have a remarkably wide area of distribution.

• Discovery of a new caerulescent Psilocybe mushroom in Germany: Psilocybe germanica sp.nov.,
  Jochen Gartz, Georg Wiedemann,
  Drug Test. Anal. 2015.
  DOI: 10.1002/dta.1795