Researchers from Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with citizen mycologists, have described two new species of psychoactive mushrooms from southern Africa, expanding the known list of indigenous Psilocybe species on the continent to six. The genus Psilocybe includes around 140 documented species worldwide and is renowned for its psychoactive properties and deep cultural significance.
The newly identified species—Psilocybe ingeli and Psilocybe maluti—were detailed in a publication in the journal Mycologia. P. ingeli was discovered in pastureland in KwaZulu-Natal by self-taught citizen mycologist Talan Moult, while P. maluti was found on a smallholding in the Free State by Daniella Mulder. She initially sent photographs of the mushrooms to renowned South African citizen mycologist Andrew Killian for identification.
Both specimens were later analyzed through DNA sequencing by Breyten van der Merwe in the laboratory of Prof. Karin Jacobs at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Microbiology. Van der Merwe, a trained mycologist and now a postgraduate student in chemical engineering, is the lead author of the study.
The publication also offers rare ethnomycological insight: P. maluti is reportedly used by Basotho traditional healers in Lesotho under the local name koae-ea-lekhoaba. This account is believed to be the only documented, first-hand report of traditional hallucinogenic mushroom use in Africa. The information was gathered by citizen mycologist Cullen Taylor Clark in collaboration with Mosotho healer Mamosebetsi Sethathi, as part of Clark’s wider initiative to document traditional mushroom knowledge across southern Africa.
Van der Merwe emphasizes the vital role citizen scientists play in such discoveries:
“These mushrooms were brought to our attention by citizen mycologists. Given the vastness of the region and the limited number of trained researchers, their involvement is essential for advancing African mycology.”
Prof. Jacobs agrees, noting that the continent’s immense fungal diversity is largely unexplored. “With only a handful of professional mycologists across Africa, partnerships with citizen scientists provide not only more material for study, but also foster conversations and connections that help document mycophilia—the appreciation and cultural relevance of mushrooms—throughout the continent.”
