Introduction to mushrooms

1. Chapter 10
10. Introduction to mushroom
-Mushrooms are fruit body of higher fungi
-Examples of mushrooms:- gill fungi, the bracket (pore) fungi,
puffballs, morels, truffles
-Diversity and distribution of mushrooms dependent on variety of
substrates/hosts, rainfall, temperature, variation in vegetation,
geography, etc
-Mushrooms are a fantastic part of many dishes but it is recommended
that they are mostly used as flavouring
-They are in fact quite difficult to digest and large amounts may lead to
temporary indigestive pains
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2. • -Mushrooms are otherwise suitable for most dishes like soups,
sauces, omelettes, pasta dishes and much more
• They may be a course at any meal – even dessert has been tried!
10.1. Edible and non edible mushrooms
• Mushroom can be edible or non edible
• Non edible mushrooms contain poisonous substances inside their
body
• Mushroom poisoning may produce various effects, from passing
mild indigestion to permanent life-threatening damage, as well as
many conditions in between
• these poisons (toxins) are grouped in a number of main groups:
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3. A. Cellular toxins
• Extremely serious
• Species include Destroying Angel, Death Cap, poisonous
Cortinarius species (Webcaps), Deadly Skullcap
• Among other things, it affects the liver and kidneys
B. Neurotoxins
• Serious
• Species include Fly Agaric and Inocybe species (Fiber Caps)
• Nerve system is affected by it.
C. Gastro-intestinal toxins
• Unpleasant, sometimes serious
• Many different mushrooms causes it
• Digestive tract is affected by it
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4. • 10.1.1. Poisonous mushrooms
• a. Destroying Angel
• White throughout (hat, gills, stem), but may have a hint of
yellow, particularly in the hat
• Rises from a large, flaky ‘sock’ and has a large ring around
the stem (which can fall off!)
• Mushroom with gills
• Common in forests
• Deadly poisonous (cellular toxin which can cause liver failure)
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6. b. Deadly Webcap
• Death Cap is equally poisonous as destroying angel but much
rarer
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7. • It attacks the kidneys in particular and may have a latent period (the
time between ingestion and symptoms of poisoning) of up to several
days
• Deadly Webcap causes serious kidney failure after 1-2 weeks
• Red-brown to orange brown colour
• Mushroom with gills
• Common in coniferous forests
• Radish-like smell increases with age
• Veil remains form ‘belts’ on the stem
• These are yellow at first, then darken
• The cap is more or less clearly pointed
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8. C. Fly Agaric and Brown Fly Agaric
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9. •The Fly Agaric and Brown Fly Agaric are varieties of the same
species
• The caps have striped edges and the white stems have a ring
• The caps, red or brown respectively, are covered with white
‘warts’
• The flesh is yellow immediately under the cap cuticle, otherwise
white
• Common in both birch woods and coniferous forest
•The mushrooms are poisonous, causing stomach upsets and
other symptoms such as confusion, dizziness and hallucinations
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10. d. Panther Cap
• Smells like raw potatoes
• Has a characteristic ridge above the bulb at the foot of the
stem
• Panther Cap may resemble Brown or Grey Fly Agaric but
these have scaly wreathes at the foot of the stem
• Same symptoms as from Red/Brown Fly Agaric.
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e. Deadly Skullcap
•This mushroom grows on old tree stumps and decaying wood
• It can easily be mistaken for Sheathed Wood tuft which is an edible
species but by no means a mushroom to be picked by beginners!
•The cap colour of Deadly Skullcap varies in accordance with
humidity in the air
•Golden brown to cinnamon-brown with a paler centre may serve as a
description
•The stem is smooth, often with silvery fibres running up and down
•The mushroom contains cellular toxins which can cause liver failure

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f. Brown Roll rim
•Brown Roll-rim has, as the name suggests, an in-rolled rim to
the cap
•It is greyish-brown with a shiny smooth surface and has light
brown gills that go darker when bruised
•The stem is often shaped like an old-fashioned tent-peg
• Brown Roll-rim can cause acute stomach upsets if eaten raw
•Moreover, repeated ingestion of even properly cooked Brown
Roll-rims can result in damage to blood cells and the kidneys

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10.1.2. Edible mushrooms
1. Penny Bun Bolete or Cep
•Grows in woods and forests, most commonly in mixed woodland
• Different shades of brown
• Cap with tubes
•The tube mouths are light at first, darkening with age
•Can be confused with Bitter Bolete which, as the name suggests,
tastes very bitter indeed

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2. Chanterelle
•Pale yellow to golden yellow.
•Ribs
•Fleshy
•Fruity smell (apricot)
•Grows in forests and woods, often in large numbers

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3. Funnel Chanterelle
•Colours vary through browns and greys, sometimes with a hint of
green
•Ribs
• Thin-fleshed. Funnel shaped, developing a hollow stem
•Grows in coniferous forests, often in very large numbers
•The Funnel Chanterelle belongs to a family of mushrooms called
Craterellus
•Other good edible species from this family include Horn of Plenty
and Yellowfoot

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4. Hydnum/ Hedgehog species
•Two edible species
•Both are lightly coloured and have a soft texture
•Characterised by the soft spines on the underside of the cap
•Both grow on the ground in forests and woods

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5. Sheep polypore
•Light coloured, matt and smooth
•Grows in coniferous forest, often many in one area
•The underside of the cap is full of small holes or pores
•The flesh turns yellow when heated
•Albatrellus confluens is somewhat similar
•This mushroom does not taste good but it is not poisonous either

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6.Shaggy Ink caps
•White mushroom with shaggy scales on the cap
•Has a long season and thrives on well-fertilised ground
•The black spores gradually discolour the mushroom until it finally
dissolves into ‘ink’
•Ink caps should be kept damp to combat spore maturation
•Only those which are white throughout may be eaten

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7. Edible Milk caps
•Reddish to orange cap and stem
•Carrot-coloured ‘milk’
•Actually two species (associated respectively with firs and pines)
but not necessary to distinguish between them
•Both are good to eat
•Milk caps and Brittle gills are large families
•Both have crumbly, brittle flesh like apples or chalk
•Milk caps contain milky latex, brittle gills do not

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8. Leccinum species
•Boletes (caps with tubes) with rough, ‘stubbly’ stems
•Many different species
•Most are good for eating but the requirement for thorough
preparation (10 -15 minutes in a hot frying pan) is extra important
where leccinumare concerned
•Insufficient preparation may result in extremely uncomfortable
gastro-intestinal symptoms, occasionally requiring hospital
treatment

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10.2. Some Common Poisoning and Edible Mushrooms in
Ethiopia
•Mushroom consumption is a common practice among many ethnic
groups of south and southwest Ethiopia
•Rural people appreciate mushrooms more than urban dwellers
•Moreover, older consumers value mushrooms more than the young
• Thus, reliable information on traditional use of wild mushrooms in
Ethiopia is obtained from rural senior citizens
•On the other hand, mushrooms are not highly valued in the central
highlands
•There are only a few local names for the many hundreds of species
of mushrooms found in the region

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•In Amharic, the terms Enguday and Yejib tila are used for
mushrooms
•Yejib tila, which literally means, "shadow of the hyena" is a
negative term
•This seems to be based on the belief that mushrooms appear in
places where the animal's shadow appeared indicating that growth of
mushrooms is somewhat mysterious
•In indigenous forests, edible mushrooms species of Macrolepiota,
Auricularia, Armillaria, Pholiota, and Coprinus occur often in
abundance
•Several species of Macrolepiota and Agaricus are common in
highland grazing areas

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•Mushrooms associated with termites, Termitomyces spp, are
diverse and collected by all ethnic groups and are considered to
have the best aroma and taste among edible mushrooms
•Mushrooms found in exotic plantations such as pinus and
cupressus remain unknown to the local people and are not collected
for use
•The most common poisonous mushroom is Chlorophyllum
molybidites, a mushroom similar to other edible members of the
Agaricacea and is difficult for local people to distinguish from
edible look alikes

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-The Meadow mushroom (Agaricus campestris) (edible)

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- Macrolepiota spp – (edible)

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-Puffballs(Vascellum sp)

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- Termitomyces (edible )–Termite associated Mushrooms
•An important group of edible mushrooms in Africa
•Obligately associated with termites
•Easily distiguished by the pseudorhiza
•All small and big species are edible

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-Wood Ear (Auricularia sp) (edible)

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Mushrooms in the rift valley
 Armillaria sp
 Agaricus campestris
 Laetiporus sulphereus
 Armillaria sp
 Gymnopilus sp
Poisonous mushroom
Hypholoma sp
Omphalotus olearius
Chlorophyllum molybdites