Field notes

Non-linear studio practice and site based inquiry supporting ongoing projects and ideas

Ghost Fungi - omphalotus nidiformis

Lower Glenelg National Park
2023

One late summer night, I rode deep into the Lower Glenelg National park on my bike to find and photograph the elusive Ghost Fungi. I have been visiting the area my whole life and had never known about the fungi until this year.

Omphalotus Nidiformis, or ghost fungus, is a gilled basidiomycete mushroom most notable for its bioluminescent properties. It is known to be found primarily in southern Australia and Tasmania, but was reported from India in 2012 and 2018. The fan or funnel shaped fruit bodies are up to 30 cm (12 in) across, with cream-coloured caps overlain with shades of orange, brown, purple, or bluish-black. The white or cream gills run down the length of the stipe, which is up to 8 cm (3 in) long and tapers in thickness to the base. The fungus is both saprotrophic and parasitic, and its fruit bodies are generally found growing in overlapping clusters on a wide variety of dead or dying trees. Wikipedia

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Beyond nightfall #13