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Ghost Fungus
Omphalotus nidiformis
-37.6998, 145.721
Field Notes
Description:
The first photo shows a beautiful white spore print of this fungus. Mature caps were about 120 mm wide, funnel shaped with a deep dark centre. Frilly curled margins showed stark white gills that ran down a pale short stipe.
Habitat:
Growing in a large cluster from a damp tree stump. Spotted by the road side in a dam eucalyptus forest.
Notes:
This is something I wanted to see for a long time and it happened when I brought one of these mushrooms back home for a spore print. I placed the mushroom in a very dark spot in the house and witnessed the dull green glow, which perfectly outlined that part of the cap, brighter where the gills were most crowded. As it was a long drive home, I suspect it had lost some of the luminescence which is said to be caused by the reaction between fungal enzymes and oxygen.
I would love to see these at night, in the wild and on a moonless night.
This is a very poisonous species. When young, they look much like Oyster mushrooms and have been mistakenly collected by some for food. The bioluminescence is a giveaway ! Oyster mushrooms don't glow in the dark.
Family: Marasmiaceae
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