Fungi

Rank

Kingdom

Phylum

Ascomycota

Phylum

Basidiomycota

...it’s thought that we’ve catalogued less than a third of the species that live here...

David Orlovich - The underground forest, 2021. New Zealand Geographic. URL https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/the-underground-forest/ (accessed 7.21.21).

There are estimated to be 20,000 - 25,000 species of fungi in New Zealand, quite possibly a lot more.

Why not subscribe to New Zealand Geographic? It's fabulous.

There are, to put it mildly, a lot of fungi. It is impractical, in a lifetime, to come anywhere near identifying all of these. Especially given that most are still uncatalogued and probably undiscovered.

Add to that is the problem that fungi are not easy to identify. There are sophisticated techniques required for fungal identification, including genetic sequencing. In short it is not possible for most people to walk around in the forest and identify fungi accurately, even with a field guide.

Not to be deterred, there are some great resources for mere mortals to aid in getting your head around fungi...

Lake Hanlon