Fungi by scientific name
Fungi belong to a different kingdom to either plants or animals. They are a large and very diverse group, lack chlorophyll and are scavengers, or parasites or symbionts. Some are essential for plant growth, others result in death; others are useful to man like yeast for bread and fermentation and the edible mushrooms. Fungi play an important role as recyclers of dead and rotting plant material. Those most commonly observed are the macrofungi, these produce obvious fruiting bodies like mushrooms and puff-balls. No fungus should be eaten unless you are positive of the identification and many Australian species are unnamed. Some features to note when trying to identify a fungus from its fruiting body are: nature of the fruiting body, e.g. a cap or bracket; colour and does it change colour on wounding; size; are the spore bearing surfaces gills as in the edible mushrom or pores as in Boletes, or amorphous, or in a mass as in a puff-ball etc; spore colour, need a spore print (refer Chlorophyllum molybdites), and smell will immediately identify the stinkhorns! A Lucid key to genera is currently in preparation. An informative site on Fungi is run by Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria.
- Agaricus augustus (The prince)
- Amanita sp. 2 (Small white rough Amanita)
- Amanita sp. 3 (Silver-grey Amanita)
- Amanita sp.1 aff. A. egregia (Section Caesarae)(Large white Amanita)
- Amanita spp. (Cairns area)
- Auricularia cornea (Hairy Jew's ear, Wood ear)
- Austroboletus sp. (Bolete)
- Boletus sp. 1 (Bolete)
- Calocera aff. sinensis (Calocera)
- Chlorophyllum molybdites (Green-gilled parasol mushroom)
- Collybia sp. (Twisted stem agaric)
- Colus pusillus (Craypot stinkhorn)
- Cyathus novae-zeelandiae (Bird's nest fungus)
- Fuligo septica (Dog vomit slime mould)
- Fuligo sp. (White slime mould)
- Ganoderma sp. (Ganoderma)
- Geastrum sp. aff. quadrifidum (Earth star)
- Hapalopilus nidulans
- Lentinus sajor-caju (White rot fungus)
- Lyophyllum connatum (A fried chicken mushroom)
- Macrolepiota sp. (Parasol mushroom)
- Marasmius aff. haematocephala (Pink bonnet)
- Marasmius crinisequi (Horsehair fungus)
- Mycena viscidocruenta (Ruby bonnet)
- Phallus indusiatus (Crinoline stinkhorn, Bridal veil fungus)
- Phallus rubicundus (Red stinkhorn, Stinkhorn)
- Podaxis beringamensis (Termite powderpuff)
- Polyporus sp. (Porous Ping-pong bat)
- Royoungia boletoides (Gold nugget truffle)
- Scleroderma cepa (Puff ball or stone fungus)
- Stereum sp. (Curtain crust)
- Tremella fuciformis (White brain jelly fungus)
