(Wikimedia commons photo/Alan Rockefeller)
PHOENIX — Poison experts are warning Valley residents to stay away from white mushrooms that are popping up on grassy lawns because of rain from the monsoon season.
They’re called chlorophyllum molybdites, also known as “yard mushrooms.”
“They look very similar to the mushrooms that you would buy at a grocery store, but these are not edible,” Maureen Roland, managing director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
“They can cause really severe gastrointestinal distress – such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea – usually within one to three hours after time of ingestion.”
She added kids and pets should stay away from these yard mushrooms.
Those found in higher elevations, such as Flagstaff and Prescott, can be even more dangerous and possibly deadly.
“They’re found pretty much in anybody’s grassy yard right now,” Roland said. “In the parks we also see them a lot. So anywhere where there’s a lot of moister and typically grassy areas is where we’re going to see them popping up.”
Anyone who eats a yard mushroom is advised to call the Banner Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. Nurses, pharmacists and physicians can answer questions and help determine if medical treatment is necessary.
Roland noted the center is seeing an increase in calls related to yard mushrooms.
“We’ve actually doubled our numbers since July, and we’re not even through August yet,” she said, adding they’re getting up to two calls per day.