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.

Macrolepiota clelandii

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.