# University of Florida team finds Galerina indica fungus producing both psilocybin and amatoxins

- Published: 2026-11-15 16:50 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: Galerina indica, new mushroom species, psilocybin and amatoxins, alpha-proamanitin, horizontal gene transfer, University of Florida mycology, Current Biology, mushroom poisoning, blue bruising mushrooms
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-3139b5fd8bcb86a11f339d4e_university_of_florida/

**Researchers reported the first known mushroom that makes both psilocybin and deadly amatoxins, including a previously unknown toxin, alpha-proamanitin.**

![University of Florida team finds Galerina indica fungus producing both psilocybin and amatoxins](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/4b1313fbbf8d0804.webp)
*tsn.ua*

Researchers at the University of Florida have described a small brown mushroom, Galerina indica, that produces both the psychedelic compound psilocybin and deadly amatoxins, according to a 12 November 2026 report by dailymail.com on a paper in Current Biology [1]. The fungus was found growing on moss-covered palm trunks in Florida wetlands [1]. The authors say it is the first known mushroom to contain both groups of compounds [1].

## Psilocybin and amatoxins in one species

The team had set out to search for little-known poisonous mushrooms in the southeastern United States and was surprised to detect psychedelic compounds [1]. Tests showed that the fungus contains psilocybin and psilocin alongside two amatoxins [1]. One of them, alpha-proamanitin, turned out to be new to science [1].

Amatoxins are the class of poisons responsible for most fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide [1]. According to the paper, both groups of compounds occur in several distantly related groups of fungi but had never been shown to co-occur in a single species [1].

The researchers believe the mushroom acquired its psilocybin-producing genes from unrelated fungi through horizontal gene transfer [1]. The study suggests this happened after the mushroom's ancestors had already evolved the ability to make deadly toxins [1]. Researcher Andrew Kunik said it is still not fully understood why mushrooms produce psilocybin, and that the ecological role of amatoxins, which may protect against animals that eat the fungi, is not entirely clear either [1].

## Why blue bruising is not a reliable sign

Many mushroom hunters assume that a mushroom that bruises blue is likely to be psychedelic rather than poisonous [1]. The authors wrote that their finding cautions against treating blue bruising as evidence that an uncharacterized psilocybin-containing mushroom is free of amatoxins [1]. In their view, this sign may be useful only for well-characterized or cultivated species with a tradition of human use [1].

Matthew Smith, a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Florida's state mycologist, said the mushrooms are hard to find because they are small and brown, like hundreds of other species [1]. He added that they are difficult to tell apart even for a trained expert [1]. The source also notes that cooking does not remove amatoxins [1].

## Sources

1. [dailymail.com](https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-16286713/Beware-dark-magic-mushrooms-combination-chemicals.html?nsmchannel=rss&nscampaign=1490&ito=1490)
2. [tsn.ua](https://tsn.ua/nauka_it/temni-mahichni-hryby-vcheni-vyiavyly-novyy-shtam-zi-smertelnym-poyednanniam-rechovyn-3217511.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-3139b5fd8bcb86a11f339d4e_university_of_florida/