Update Note: This article reports new information involving the Lanmaoa mushroom study following Nature World News' earlier coverage of the "tiny people" hallucinations. Latest verified sources: University of Utah release summarized Oct. 25, 2026; study published in Mycologia on June 5, 2026.

The genetic study that tied visions of tiny elves to a single wild mushroom also uncovered a quieter problem closer to home. Two of four species new to science in the mushroom's genus were found among specimens already stored in U.S. collections, where they had sat unrecognized until DNA sequencing revealed what they were, according to the University of Utah.

That finding matters to anyone who picks wild mushrooms. If trained mycologists and museum curators could not tell these species apart by eye, the average forager looking at a blue-staining bolete in the woods has even less to go on.

The researchers raised that concern directly in their paper. Because Lanmaoa species are traded commercially around the world, they wrote, misidentification of wild edible mushrooms with potentially poisonous lookalikes is a "well-documented and serious concern for public food safety," ScienceAlert reported.

Hidden Diversity Inside One Mushroom Genus

Nature World News previously reported on how scientists traced the tiny-people visions to Lanmaoa asiatica, a bolete eaten as food in southwest China and the northern Philippines that contains no known hallucinogen. That earlier report focused on the visions and the unidentified compound behind them.

The same study, by University of Utah doctoral student Colin Domnauer and mycologist Bryn Dentinger of the Natural History Museum of Utah, was also the first genome-scale analysis of the entire Lanmaoa genus. The team sequenced 53 specimens collected in the wild and held in fungarium collections around the world.

They identified 17 species in the genus, four of them previously unknown. Two of the new species received formal names in the paper, Lanmaoa fallax and Lanmaoa carbonilivor. The researchers said some existing specimens may need to be reclassified now that the family tree is clearer.

Lanmaoa mushrooms are boletes, with spongy pores under the cap instead of gills, and many bruise blue when cut or handled. Several species in the genus have been described from the United States, where red-and-yellow boletes are a familiar find for foragers in summer and early fall.

One Psychoactive Species, Many Lookalikes

The study found that only one member of the genus is known to cause hallucinations. "Our analysis showed that L. asiatica is the only psychoactive species in this genus," Domnauer said, according to Gizmodo. L. asiatica has been documented in Yunnan and the Philippines, and the study did not report it growing in the United States.

That should reassure American foragers — but not relax them. Boletes as a group are often considered beginner-friendly, yet the study shows that even experts can confuse closely related species without genetic tests. Some boletes cause stomach upset, and blue staining alone does not identify a safe mushroom. In other mushroom families, toxic lookalikes can cause severe liver damage, and cooking does not destroy those toxins.

In China, L. asiatica is safe enough to sell in markets when thoroughly cooked. Domnauer has described a hot pot restaurant where the server set a 15-minute timer and warned diners not to eat until it rang. Undercooked servings are what send people to the hospital with visions of tiny figures. That cultural knowledge took generations to build and does not transfer to unfamiliar species elsewhere.

Evidence Strength and Open Questions

This is a peer-reviewed genetic and taxonomic study published in Mycologia. Its DNA results on species boundaries are strong, since they draw on 1,515 shared genes across specimens. Its conclusions about the hallucinogen are more limited. The team searched the L. asiatica genome and found no close matches to genes known to produce mushroom psychedelics such as psilocybin, which points to an unknown compound. The molecule itself has not been isolated or identified.

The original 1934 reports of similar visions from Papua New Guinea also remain unverified, because dry weather kept researchers from collecting specimens there. Domnauer said the next step is isolating the suspected compound, which could help scientists understand why Lilliputian hallucinations also appear in conditions such as dementia, alcohol withdrawal and macular degeneration.

Safe Foraging and When to Get Help

The safest rule is simple — do not eat any wild mushroom unless an experienced expert has identified it in person. Photos and apps are not reliable enough for mushrooms with lookalikes. Local mycological societies often run identification tables and forays where beginners can learn safely.

Do not buy or eat imported dried wild mushrooms of uncertain origin, and follow cooking instructions for any wild species sold as food. Never eat a mushroom raw or undercooked unless it is a well-known edible variety.

If anyone becomes sick, confused, or begins hallucinating after eating wild mushrooms, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, which connects to a local poison center in the United States. Call 911 for severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, seizures, or loss of consciousness. Save any leftover mushroom for identification.

Symptoms from mushroom poisoning can be delayed for hours, so do not wait to see whether someone improves on their own. Pets that eat wild mushrooms in yards or on trails should be taken to a veterinarian or reported to an animal poison control line right away.

The bottom line: the search for the "tiny elves" mushroom revealed that even museum specimens of closely related boletes were misidentified for years. The one psychoactive species is not known in the U.S., but the study is a clear reminder that wild mushrooms should be eaten only after expert identification.

What Readers Want to Know

What did the study find beyond the hallucinations? It identified 17 species in the Lanmaoa genus, four new to science, including two that had been stored unrecognized in U.S. collections.

Does the "tiny elves" mushroom grow in the United States? The study documented Lanmaoa asiatica in southwest China and the northern Philippines. It did not report the species in the U.S.

Are other Lanmaoa mushrooms hallucinogenic? According to the researchers, L. asiatica is the only known psychoactive species in the genus.

Is it safe to eat blue-staining boletes I find? Not without expert identification. Blue staining does not confirm a mushroom is safe, and closely related species are easy to confuse.

What should I do if someone gets sick after eating wild mushrooms? Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 for severe symptoms, and keep any leftover mushroom for identification.

What is the next step for researchers? They plan to isolate and identify the unknown compound believed to cause the hallucinations.