How to identify your fungi finds
By Daisy Baker
May 13, 2020
With national parks and reserves now reopened to residents within 30km, there are plenty of opportunities to spot fungi while out walking.
University of Tasmania mycologist Genevieve Gates said there are 14,000 known mushrooms (fungi with a stem, cap and gills) in the world but there are many more than have been found and described.
Dr Gates said there are no definitive answers about what causes different colours and shapes.
“We know that some colours in flowers attract certain insects but this doesn't really apply to fungi,” she said.
“The Aseroë rubra that looks like a red octopus emerging from an egg has a foul smelling spore mass in the middle and that attracts flies so they land in it and then fly off taking spores with them.
“As for shapes, I think they are just adapting themselves to every niche available for colonisation and so they adopt a shape that is the best one to ensure their survival as a species (type).”
Dr Gates co-authored A Field Guide To Tasmanian Fungi and The Entolomataceae of Tasmania and also runs the Tasfungi Facebook group, where members of the public regularly post photos of their finds.
“They are a part of our world, integral to the roles of recycling and helping plants and trees grow, some have hallucinogenic properties, some are extremely poisonous and can kill you or destroy your liver and kidneys so you need a transplant.
“I prefer people grew their own using a kit or went to the supermarket for ones to eat rather than go the native forests because our little native animals have to eat as well.”
Instead, she encourages people to look at them, admire them, take a photo and share it in the Tasfungi Facebook group.
The Advertiser would like to thank Jade Lenord for supplying these fungi photos captured recently on his property in North Scottsdale.
