HYDERABAD: A rare and distinctive all-blue mushroom species (scientific name: Entoloma hochstetteri) was recently discovered in the Kagaznagar forest division under the Kawal Tiger Reserve, marking the first-ever report of this species in Telangana.
Referred to as “blue pink gill” or “sky-blue mushroom,” this genus of mushrooms has pink to purplish hues in their gills.
On July 20, forest rangers conducting regular patrolling in the Adilabad forest area came across a small number of these mushrooms.
“Although many members of the genus Entoloma are poisonous, the toxicity of this species is still unknown. We have been checking to see if its blue colouring might be manufactured as a food dye. The preliminary chemical analyses indicate the presence of novel bioactive compounds. They could hold the key to developing new drugs for various ailments, including infectious diseases and oxidative stress-related conditions,” said Jagadeesh Batthula, Assistant Professor at the Forest College and Research Institute in Mulugu.