New Zealand Fungi

DSC_2580 Royal pouch fungus (Cortinarius porphyroideus) a pouch fungus in the gilled genus Cortinarius, common in beech litter. Pouch fungi as a group, have lost the ability of their gilled relatives, to shed spores to the wind. Many pouches are brightly coloured, and more typical of fruit eaten by birds. Indeed native ground birds probably eat pouch fungi, thereby dispersing the spores through their faeces. Catlins River *

DSC2580Royalpurplepouch fungusCortinariusporphyroideusfungiCatlins River