I feel compelled to insert a short post about the rare Devil’s Cigar. A number of search engine users continue asking if this mushroom is edible.I have researched high and low and I have not found any information written that this mushroom is edible.
My answer is no, it is not edible. Never ever harvest any kind of mushroom. Purchase your mushrooms from a grocery store. They are not unduly expensive. Several individuals die each year from eating poisonous mushrooms. Don’t become a statistic!
A wild thing should be left untouched in the wild and left to grow and complete its life cycle. That plant or fungi is growing there because it is symbiotic with the other things growing there and serves the purpose of completing that particular habitat. Species rely on each other to maintain health, vigor and, productivity.
Many plants and other forms of natives have been lost to people making money from selling rare or endangered species. Is this unfair to the rest of us who would like to see things growing in the wild? But more importantly once any species of flora or fauna is lost it can not be replicated in any form or fashion. And how are we to know that these things might have been used to cure a disease or help mankind in ways one would never have believed?
Scientists from around the world are actively searching rain forests, tundra, desert, mountains, and the ocean seeking specimens to bring back for laboratory studies. Currently humans are already benefiting from medications that were made from native plants.
There is one exception to the rule. ONLY IF YOU KNOW for certain that an area is going to be destroyed and lost to a construction site- then remove with advice, from someone involved in conservation who can advise you on how to competently dig a specimen.
One last thought. I appreciate all the folks that are viewing my blog. Thank you so much.
Pets, People and, Life 