Autumn is upon us and many fungi are emerging. Our Research Scientist Lara Shepherd takes us on a photo tour of New Zealand’s diverse fungi, lists resources to help you identify your fungal finds, and discusses that age-old question – can I eat it?

New Zealand boasts a splendid array of fungi. Our fungi come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes and in all colours of the rainbow. Some even glow in the dark!

A diversity of shapes:

Puapua-a-autahi (Aseroe rubra). Photo by bugshroom, 2022, via iNaturalist CC BY-NC 4.0

Beech orange (Cyttaria gunnii). Photo by sophie185, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY 4.0

Earthstar (Geastrum sp.). Photo by Lara Shepherd

Hericium novae-zealandiae. Photo by bugshroom, 2021, via iNaturalist CC BY-NC 4.0

Laccaria masoniae. Photo by stevereekie1, 2019, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Southern false morel (Gyromitra tasmanica). Photo by leonperrie, 2014, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Tooth fungus (Sarcodon sp.). Photo by leonperrie, 2019, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Woolly bird’s nest fungus (Nidula niveotomentosa). Photo by leonperrie, 2015, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

White basket fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium). Photo by leonperrie, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

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And a rainbow of colours:

Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is the most common species of fungi recorded in New Zealand on the iNaturalist platform. Photo by daniel3627, 2013, via iNaturalist CC-BY 4.0

Coral fungi (Ramaria sp.). Photo by rebflora, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Hygrocybe julietae. Photo by shirleykerr, 2019, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Mycena subviscosa. Photo by michaelschwabnz, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Verdigris waxcap (Gliophorus viridis). Photo by shirleykerr, 2019, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Werewere kōkako (Entoloma hochstetteri). Photo by greghadley1, 2022, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Cortinarius coneae. Photo by pallantejm, 2021, via iNaturalist CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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New Zealand has an estimated 20,000 species of fungi but many of these, especially the small inconspicuous ones, have not yet been studied and remain unnamed. All of the photos on this post are of fungal fruiting bodies.

The remaining part of these fungi lives underground year-round or inside decaying wood.

What’s in a name? Pucker up for the hot lips puffball!

The common names of many fungi are sometimes just as interesting as the fungi themselves. Some fungi names reflect their otherworldliness like fairy cups, witches’ butter, devil’s fingers, and pixie’s parasol.

Devil’s fingers (Clathrus archeri). Photo by stevereekie1, 2004, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Witches’ butter (Tremella mesenterica). Photo by Lara Shepherd

Pixie’s parasol (Mycena interrupta). Photo by jess_peart, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Yellow fairy cups (Calycina citrina). Photo by petaimmaca68, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY 4.0

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Other names describe the look of the fungus, such as the icing sugar fungus, eyelash cups, and pagoda fungus.

Pagoda fungus (Podoserpula pusio). Photo by dougalt, 2016, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0

Eyelash cups (Scutellinia sp.). Photo by Lara Shepherd

Velvet potato fungus (Gallacea scleroderma). Photo by Lara Shepherd

The icing sugar fungus (Beauveria bassiana) is a parasite on insects and kills them – making the victim look like it’s been dusted with icing sugar. Photo by Lara Shepherd

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Other fungi names are just bizarre:

Hotlips puffball (Calostoma rodwayi). Photo by possumsend, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY 4.0

Jellybaby (Leotia lubrica). Photo by stevereekie1, 2021, via iNaturalist CC-BY-NC 4.0.

Twisted deceiver (Laccaria tortilis). Photo by cooperj, 2006, via iNaturalist CC-BY 4.0

Scurfy twiglet (Tubaria furfuracea). Photo by Lara Shepherd

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I want to know more! Fungi identification resources

There are some excellent books available to help you identify your fungi including A Field Guide to New Zealand Fungi, the Forest Fungi Photo Guides and Mushrooms and Other Fungi of New Zealand.

There are also websites dedicated to fungus identification. For these, you need good photos of the topside and the underside of the fungus, plus information about or a photo of the type of forest in which it is growing.

By loading your photos onto the online citizen science platform iNaturalist not only will your observations be identified by experts, where possible, but they will also contribute to science. For example, scientists use these records to determine species distributions. One fungus I photographed in the middle of Wellington for iNaturalist turned out to be a new species record for New Zealand!

There are also several Facebook groups dedicated to New Zealand fungi identification:

• Australia and New Zealand fungus identification 
• Mushrooms of New Zealand (photography)
• Mushroom hunting New Zealand

Can I eat it?

All Fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once. – Terry Pratchett

Many of the experts on the above websites won’t comment on whether fungi are edible, and for good reason.  There are numerous fungi in New Zealand that are toxic and can cause serious illness or even death.

Be very cautious if you intend to consume fungi collected in the wild. Remember that anyone can post an identification on Facebook and you may be putting your life in their hands.

Further fungi resources

• Manaaki Whenua’s online fungal key
• Māori uses of fungi
• New Zealand Geographic article, ‘Feasting on fungi’
• Info on how to photograph fungi for iNaturalist and much, much more!