Ecologist and fungi enthusiast Alison Pouliot spoke to The Advocate about the prevalence of fungi in the region and the rise of foraging.
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After a long summer, the rains have arrived, causing moisture to increase in the soil and its temperature to drop; resulting in mushrooms starting to pop up.
The death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides), which caused alarmism in recent years, does not grow in the region, however, the fungi which causes the most poisonings in Victoria, the yellow stainer (agaricus xanthodermus), is widespread in Daylesford.
The yellow stainer is often mistaken for a common field mushroom and is found on nature strips, lawns and in parks. It contains a gastrointestinal toxin, causing the person who ingests it to come down with what is similar to a bad case of food poisoning.
Ms Pouliot said Australians are only just starting to become a nation of foragers although it has been common practice in other countries for centuries.
She said this could be due to Australians coming from a mycophobic heritage, where mushrooms were typically associated with the supernatural.
Ms Pouliot said many people employ old wives tales as a means to determine whether or not a fungi is edible.
She said the only way to determine the edibility of a fungi, however, is to make a definitive identification by its diagnostic features. It is also important to consult a field guide or a fungi expert.
Edible mushrooms most commonly found in the region are the Saffron Milk Cap (Lactarius deliciosus) and Slippery Jack (Suillus granulatus) species.
“We have a massive diversity of fungi but have probably only named about a third of the species. There are about 15,000 species of fungi in Australia. About 8000 of those are what we call macro fungi, like mold,” she said.
“We have an enormous botanical and habitat diversity, which results in an accompanying fungal diversity. Each ecosystem has different fungi.”
Ms Pouliot said the biggest threat to fungi diversity is land management and the overuse of fertiliser, chemicals, fire, compaction of soil and over-watering.