Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
MUSHROOMS growing under gum trees are usually poisonous and should be avoided at all costs, a specialist Ms Cathy Sharp, has said.

Every year scores of people, especially in the rural areas die in the country after eating mushrooms, with the death toll for this year now at 15. Four are hospitalised after consuming poisonous mushrooms. Eleven of the dead are from Mberengwa while four are from Filabusi.

Ms Sharp, who has been researching on mushrooms for the past 40 years, said while some mushrooms were naturally poisonous, others were not but could be poisoned by surrounding elements.

She said it was difficult to make any conclusions on the mushrooms that killed people in Mberengwa and Filabusi without first investigating.

Ms Sharp was speaking at the Natural History Museum in Bulawayo where there is an exhibition on fungi, which includes mushrooms.

“Every year we experience this national problem during the rainy season and it’s common in Mashonaland. There is always mushroom poisoning in the country, especially where there are indigenous trees.

“Mushrooms that grow under gum trees are usually poisonous. The roots of the trees poison the mushrooms. It’s therefore advisable to avoid eating mushrooms fetched from under gum trees or near gum trees,” said Ms Sharp.

She said it was also not safe to use domestic animals to test the safety of mushrooms, adding their digestive systems were different from humans.

Ms Sharp added that people could also get sick if they eat mushrooms that have become old and contaminated by flies.

“It’s risky to take chances with mushrooms. When one doesn’t have knowledge about mushrooms or is not sure it’s better not to eat them. Better to be hungry than dead.

“Mushrooms usually grow in a day. When harvested later, they would be old and contaminated by flies, therefore making people sick,” said Ms Sharp.

She said it was unfortunate that mushrooms were now being fetched by young people with little knowledge.

“In the past, it’s the elderly people who would fetch mushrooms for the family because they had the knowledge. Unfortunately most elderly people are no longer there and that knowledge is diminishing.

“We need to get that knowledge maintained. I have written a number of books to bring back that knowledge and try to avoid unnecessary loss of lives,” said Ms Sharp.

She advised members of the public to make sure that they buy mushrooms from people who they trust and have knowledge about them

A vegetable vendor, who operates from the city centre and sells mushrooms every rainy season, Ms Angeline Masasira yesterday told The Chronicle that she purchases mushrooms from an elderly man in Matopo District.

“I’m not worried at all because I buy mushrooms from one elderly man from Matopo. In fact most people at this market buy from him and we’ve been doing this for years. He has vast knowledge about mushrooms and we don’t buy from anyone else.

“My business is therefore not affected because I have my customers who also buy from me and they know they’re safe. We’ve actually learnt a lot about mushrooms from this old man. He told us that mushrooms growing under or near gum trees are extremely poisonous,” said Ms Masasira.

The Natural History Museum marketing officer for the western region Mr Phineas Chauke urged members of the public to visit the museum and learn more about different types of mushrooms and the importance of fungi. — @pamelashumba1