Florida student discovers ‘dark magic mushroom’

“Magic mushrooms” have been long known for their psychedelic compounds. Meanwhile, poisonous mushrooms have compounds that can kill you.

But a new study released on Wednesday reveals that Florida researchers have discovered a new kind entirely — one with both types of compounds.

In a release, officials with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) announced that UF/IFAS researchers identified the mushroom for the first time ever.

WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF MUSHROOMS?

Magic mushrooms have psilocybin, a naturally occurring controlled substance that can produce psychedelic experiences.

Meanwhile, deadly mushrooms have amatoxins, which can be responsible for fatal mushroom poisonings.

“The team was interested in the genus Galerina to see if there were other species of mushrooms in Florida that contain amatoxins, which had not been documented,” the release reads.

THE “DARK MAGIC MUSHROOM”

As an undergraduate student, Andrew Kunik reportedly discovered a tiny, “unusual” mushroom while documenting fungi at a UF/IFAS lab.

The small, brown mushroom was in the genus Galerina, of which some species were already known to hide deadly amatoxins.

But the mushroom also stained blue when handled, officials said — a trait found in some magic mushrooms.

As it turned out, the mushroom — since dubbed the “dark magic mushroom” — contained compounds from both types of mushrooms.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

According to the UF/IFAS, the discovery may help researchers figure out how mushrooms benefit from from making amatoxins or psilocybin.

“We still don’t fully understand why mushrooms produce psilocybin,” Kunik said. “Amatoxins may help protect mushrooms from animals that eat them, but their precise ecological role isn’t entirely clear, either. That’s what makes the discovery of the ‘dark magic mushroom’ so interesting. Why would a mushroom produce both of these compounds, and what advantage might that give it in nature?”