Conservative estimates put the number of extant fungal species at 1.5 – 5.1 million, of which < 10% have been described. One of the many questions that has been generated from these estimates is where are the “missing”, or dark, fungi. The majority of fungal data, including species estimates, are based on studies of macrofungal […]

The talk DNA sequencing has become an integral part of modern mycology. It's not only helping with the classification of fungi but has revolutionized our understanding of the fungal tree of life. This talks will take us through the many uses (and abuses) of DNA sequencing, explain how DNA sequencing works, what it takes to […]

Typical lists of mushroom forms (agaric, bolete, polypore, crust...) are familiar and useful, but we don't often give the forms themselves much attention. This presentation will be a casual attempt to add some precision and thoroughness to how we think about the forms, relating them to each other and giving extra attention to the in-betweens […]

The Hebeloma project has been evolving for over 20 years. The database that started in 2003 now has over 10,000 collections, from around the world, with not only metadata but also morphological descriptions and photographs, both macroscopic and microscopic, as well as molecular data including at least an ITS sequence. Included within this set of […]

In the course of collecting polypores for the last 40 years Leif has visited over 70 different countries, which has resulted in 50,000+ collections in the Oslo Fungarium. Leif's passion for polypores started with an accidental collection of a bracket fungi which then developed to a lifestyle. Twelve African PhD students have stayed in Oslo […]

Mushrooms that look similar are not always the same species, as evidenced by an abundance of DNA studies on genera like Cantharellus, Trametes, Armillaria, and Morchella. The genus Stereum is a wood-decay fungus abundant across the globe, with many species endemic to certain regions or specific to particular host trees. In the 50s, several species […]

The mutualistic relationship between trees and fungi has been well-known for over a century, and metaphors emerging from this interaction have become increasingly common in popular culture. But we have learned many nuances in recent days – we'll cover some of the frontier of research involving the intricacies and nuts-and-bolts mechanisms of this famous symbiosis.