I know little about fungi, but I can still see that there are plenty around at present. Perhaps they’ve been enjoying the mild start to winter.
The following caught my eye during a recent Manawatu Botanical Society field-trip to the Branch Road track in the Pohangina Valley north of Palmerston North.
For fungal novices like me, Landcare Research has a good online, picture-based identification key, which is how I identified the Geastrum and Inonotus above. Give it a go next time you happen upon an interesting fungus.
Landcare Research’s identification key for fungi.
Te Papa has no* specimens of fungi in its collections.
So what is in Te Papa’s botany collection?
New Zealand’s main fungal herbarium is at Landcare Research in Auckland. Scion also maintains a fungal collection.
- actually, there is at least one – a vegetable caterpillar which is where a fungus parasitises a caterpillar. I’ll post a blog and picture of it at some stage. And, I’m not counting the fungal components of lichens, of which Te Papa has c. 7500 specimens, or ‘contaminants’ on plant (or animal) specimens.
Botany Curator
I specialise in the taxonomy (i.e., naming) and evolution of New Zealand’s ferns, often using DNA analyses to address issues that can’t be resolved by consideration of the external features of the plants alone. I enjoy exploring new places, even if it is only to see plants I’ve never before encountered in the wild!
Thanks Clive – what’s the distinguishing feature(s)?
Your earthstar is Geastrum saccatum one of the most common species of earthstars.