Young and aged carpophores of Psilocybe serbica. Note the blueing of the mature specimens which indicates psilocybin breakdown. Photo credit: Matthias Gube.

Genome sequencing and assembly of Psilocybe serbica was carried out by the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany and annotated using the JGI fungal annotation pipeline. The sequenced isolate was collected in the Upper Lusatia area, Germany.

Typically, Psilocybe serbica carpophores appear in loose groups. This mushroom is a lignicolous species and prefers well decayed wood or other plant material in conifer or deciduous forests. The taxonomy around P. serbica and closely related species has undergone transformations and may not be final yet. Traditionally, it was included in the larger P. cyanescens species complex, more recent literature describes P. serbica as a separate species.

Psilocybe carpophores are colloquially referred to as Magic Mushrooms, as numerous species in this genus have the capacity to synthesize psychotropic indole alkaloid natural products, primarily psilocybin, which is the prodrug to psilocin, the actual hallucinogenic compound. The pharmaceutical value of psilocybin and psilocin, still scheduled drugs, has been demonstrated during various clinical studies. Favorable results were shown for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and substance addiction. Genomic sequencing was done during a study to elucidate the biochemical basis of how psilocybin is biosynthesized.