Fungi
No. recorded - 27
Basidiomycetes
Agaricaceae Agaricus aff. augustus? a mushroom
Amanitaceae
Amanita muscaria* mycorrhizal on pine, not native
Lepiotaceae
Macrolepiota clelandii
Polyporaceae
Amauroderma rude rooting shank
Polyporus arcularius
Pycnoporus coccineus
Trametes aff. lilacino-gilva
Trametes versicolor
Trametes hirsuta
Tricholomataceae
Anthracophyllum archeri
Phallaceae
Aseroe rubra
Coprinaceae
Coprinus aff. plicatilis inkcap
Coprinus micaceus
Coprinus comatus
Psathyrella candolleana
Cortinariaceae
Gymnopilus purpuratus
Schizoporaceae
Hyphodontia australis
Strophariaceae
Hypholoma fasciculare
Tricholomataceae
Micromphale mirramirildinum
Mycena viscido-cruenta
Schizophyllum commune
Oudemansiella radicata
Geastraceae
Geastrum minus
Stereaceae
Stereum ostrea
Tremellomycetes (jelly fungi)
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum
Tremella fuciformis
Tremella aff. mesenterica
Myxomycetes
These are the slime moulds - no longer classified with the fungi, but included here for convenience.
Physaraceae
Fuligo septica Dog vomit
Most organisms in the Kingdom Fungi are microscopic organisms that have not been recorded from our site, even though representatives of all 9 sub-kingdoms are likely to be present.
The most obvious fungi are those that produce spectacular spore-producing structures. These are the mushrooms and toadstools of the forest. However, there are many others that rarely, if ever, produce such structures, even though they belong to the same taxonomic group Dikarya. They, like the fungus shown below in the root hair of Christmas orchid, are best studied using microscopes and laboratory culture conditions.
However, members of the sub-kingdom Dikarya often produce large spore-producing structures that are the familiar "mushrooms and toadstools".
Dikarya are divided into two phyla:
Phylum Ascomycota, of which none has so far been formally recorded, although several are present
Phylum Basidiomycota, to which all the species which we have so far recorded belong.
This photomicrograph, taken by Liz Kabanoff at the University of Western Sydney, shows fungal hyphae inside a root hair of a Christmas orchid Calanthe australasica from the Ourimbah Creek catchment.
All orchids seem to live in symbiosis with fungi that live within their roots and sometimes other tissues. In many cases, orchid seed will not germinate naturally unless it is first invaded by a fungus. In fact, the orchid needs the fungus as much as the fungus needs the orchid for a home.
Some at least of these fungi are related to ones that produce the fruiting bodies that we see every rainy autumn. However, particular ones have either lost the ability to produce fruiting bodies, or they produce them only rarely and in special circumstances.
See our fungus photo page for more pictures.