O.O. OSEMWEGIE, A.O. OGHENEKARO, C.A. IHAYERE AND E. SULE
Abstract
A study carried out on the folk uses and ethnomycology of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms by five selected communities: Igarra, Sasaru, Egbigere, Ikpeshi and Aghor in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria showed that about 86% of respondents consumed mushrooms. About 12.5% of the respondents consumed mushrooms because of its taste, 54.2% used them as substitutes for meat or fish, 16.7% use certain mushrooms e.g. sclerotium of Pleurotus tuberregium and Schizophyllum commune while 9.2% sold them for extra incomes. Auricularia auricular-judae, Cortinarius melliolens, Macrolepiota procera, Lactarius edulis, Lycoperdon sp., Pleurotus tuberregium, P. squarrosulus, Termitomyces robustus and Tricholoma lobayense were identified as edible species, while Daldinia concentrica, Ganoderma lucidum, G. applanatum (Pers.) Pat. and Nothopanus sp. were used in traditional medicine practices. The source of utilitarian mushrooms remained forests, agroforests and farms in many communities studied, and their collection and/or sales reserved for women and children.