Wet weather sparks shroom boom

Christchurch parks and gardens are experiencing a mushroom explosion as fungi flourish in the recent rain.

A long period of drought followed by an unusually wet autumn has sparked a spectacular showing of varied mushroom and other fungal species around the city.

Council Botanist Trevor Partridge with some of the many fungi appearing in the Botanic Gardens.

Fungi are seasonal and commonly appear in autumn but Christchurch City Council Botanist Trevor Partridge says the recent rain has created ideal growing conditions for them to arrive in large numbers all over the city. It’s the most prolific season he has seen for fungi in several years.

“It certainly is quite spectacular, members of the public have noticed how many there are and I’ve had inquiries about it.

“Fungi that would normally be spread out over a long period have suddenly popped up together. They won't last long. Some like the tiny ink fungi will be gone the next day. Others will persist for anything up to a week. A giant puffball is something of an exception, hanging around for a month before it falls into a mass of spores.”

On a short tour of the Botanic Gardens Dr Partridge spotted coral type fungi, small puffballs and the parasitic bracket fungus varieties that grow around the roots and bark of established trees.

People only notice fungi when they appear above ground to disperse their spores, but they are actually the fruiting bodies of underground organisms.

They live in the soil as tiny threads called mycelium, some live off dead organic material and others form associations with trees, helping them extract nutrients from the ground.

Coral type fungi in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

Dr Partridge says while fungi are interesting to look at, a number of species are poisonous, and some are highly toxic to humans.

“Unless you are an expert, all these fungi should be avoided as a potential source of food. Also to be definitely avoided is Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric, which is attractive, distinctive, common and highly poisonous. It is easily recognised by the red caps with raised white spots and should not be handled without washing hands afterwards. However, they are completely harmless when they’re left in the ground.”

Landcare Research has a website with photos that can help in the identification of fungi in New Zealand.