Fungi of Great Britain and Ireland

Fungi (including lichens, symbioses of fungi with algae and cyanobacteria) constitute one of the largest and most significant organism groups in the world, yet are widely misunderstood and unjustifiably ignored. They are responsible for a range of key ecological functions, including nutrient cycling, water uptake by plants and soil health and formation. Their presence is critical for continuing life on Earth, and their conservation should be a high priority alongside animals and plants.

This website provides basic knowledge for identification of fungi (both lichenized and non-lichenized), and information about occurrence, associations and conservation. The site will initially be  focused primarily on fungi and lichens of Great Britain and Ireland, with the aspiration to extend coverage globally.

Development of this information resource is taking place in association with CABI and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Click on the plus signs and taxon names on the Fungi, Lichens or Projects section on the left of this page to explore. The section on Fungi will contain information on all species (lichenized and non-lichenized). Currently, species pages (rather than genus, family etc.) are being targetted for content development.

Much of the descriptive data has been taken from an unfinished historic project of CABI, Kew and Liverpool John Moores University to produce an account of the non-lichenized Ascomycota of Great Britain. Much of this needs revision, and the distribution information in particular is incomplete. This means that statements on geographical extent do not match the maps taken from the National Biodiversity Network. The data from both sources need to be interpreted with caution.