Mushroom walk through Mukuvisi Woodlands , Harare , Zimbabwe February 2014
Today l signed up for a guided walk about wild mushrooms . The walk was conducted by Cathy Sharp , who is a mycologist living in Zimbabwe and has been studying mushrooms all her life . I was looking forward to this as there is seldom access to these type of people and l have always wanted to learn more about mushrooms and their identification .
I was one of about 20 people from all walks of life , and ages , so very diverse group . We walked a short distance through the miombo forests of Harare’s Mukuvisi Woodlands . It is raining this time of the year and the grass is tall and all the plants are green , it is a very humid environment and leaf litter is plentiful on the ground , therefore perfect conditions exist for mushrooms to grow . I probably encountered 25 species in all . Some of them apparently edible , some known to be poisonous , l personally don’t eat wild mushrooms .
Here are some pictures of some of the mushrooms we encountered , there were many others l have yet to identify . The identifications are based on a small booklet that Cathy produced as well as information from the walk .
( The booklet is called : A Pocket Guide to Mushrooms in Zimbabwe ).
Therefore the identifications are open to discussion .
I will add more information in time .
Lactarius spp. ( maybe kabansus ) (Orange-gilled Milkcap)- Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Clavulina wisoli ( White Coral )- Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Clavaria helicoides(Orange Coral)- Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Cantherellus spp.- Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Cantharellus platyphyllus(Blue-tinged Chantarelle) maybe 2 – Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Cantharellus platyphyllus(Blue-tinged Chantarelle) maybe – Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Amanita afrospinosa(Spiny amanita) -Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill)-Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Scleroderma citrinum (Earth Ball) maybe – Feb 2014 Mukuvisi Woods
Hi there, considering the images it looks like you had a real nice mushroom walk with Cathy. I think I can help identifying some of the images shown.
The Clavulina wisoli is probably a Sebacina, a group of fungi that wrap their fruitbody around the base of grasses and debris. They don’t decompose the grass, but they are ectomycorrhizal, i.e. in symbiosis with living trees and beneficial to them.
The Clavaria helicoides is for sure a Lepidostroma. Belongs to a group of fungi (Basidiomycota) that live in symbiosis (again) with microscopic Algae. The Algal partner lives just on the surface of the bare soil and is wrapped/protected by the mycelium. The pink fruitbodies grow in groups and often you can spot a green shade (the algae) on the soil where they grow. A very interesting group, ecologically comparable to Lichens (symbiosis between Ascomycetes and algae) found on trees and stones.
The small red Cantharellus is most probably Cantharellus addaiensis.
Keep looking for fungi and have a nice day!
Dr. De Kesel, André
Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium
Thank you for your input Andre . Much appreciated .
Am doing a research on edible wild mushroom would be grateful if you have infor l can use
Wonderful am a Zimbo living in uk. The articles had an emotional grip on me I recognized nhedzi, chinyakashsesheshe, chihombiro and tsuketsuke though unclear uzutwe seems there too. More on this please!
Thanks for taking the time to comment Vincent , pleased you enjoyed my article . All the best . Paul