Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research's video: Explore New Zealand s national Fungarium

The New Zealand Fungarium | Te Kohinga Hekaheka o Aotearoa was established nearly a century ago and contains specimens of over 7,300 local fungal species. The collection includes dried fungal specimens of mushrooms and other larger fruitbodies, and dried plant material that bears the fruitbodies of microscopic fungi. With over 100,000 specimens stored safely at our Auckland site, the collection continues to grow with up to 2,000 specimens added annually. Join Maj Padamsee and Peter Buchanan as they show the weird and the wonderful treasures that are contained inside the walls of the Fungarium and answer your questions. They will share the importance of maintaining a collection like this and the benefit it provides in protecting and conserving our native fungi and other biodiversity, and in supporting New Zealand’s biosecurity system to keep out unwanted overseas fungi.