A guide to the common fungi of coastal New South Wales

This multi-touch book has been enhanced with interactive features, and can only be read on an Apple tablet or computer.

Fungi play an incredibly important role in all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They aid decomposition and nutrient cycling, help to create and stabilise soils, form relationships with plant roots that are essential for the survival of plants, and provide habitat and a food resource for a multitude of other organisms. Without fungi, plant-based habitats would not exist.

Fungi contribute significantly to global biodiversity but, despite their diversity and abundance, they are among the most poorly studied organisms. 

New South Wales has approximately 36,000 different species of fungi. Around 30,000 of these are microscopic but, of the estimated 6,000 species found in the state that produce visible fruit bodies, less than half have been formally described and named.

This is one of the things that makes fungi so exciting to enthusiasts and it’s one of the reasons this guide has been developed. 

A guide to the common fungi of coastal New South Wales is designed to be used by people of all ages to identify fungi in the field. It also contains some great information on what fungi are, why they’re so important, and where to find them.