Did you know that Kew has the first ever scientifically described shiitake mushroom? Author of the species, the Reverend Berkeley’s 1875 notes on the specimen, show the Japanese name “Shi-taki” and highlight it being “commonly eaten in Japan and exposed for sale in large quantities in shops”.

Cordyceps miniralis fungi emerging from a moth beneath moss

Closeup of Cordyceps militaris fruiting body

Happy Halloween! We’re showing off two spooky fungi from Kew. First up, found by a Fungarium Sequencing Project team member, this Cordyceps militaris is parasitising a moth larva!

The beautiful jack-o-lantern orange fruiting body is visible above ground, while the larva is buried beneath the dirt 🪦

A speaker presents in a large lecture theatre with a slide titled “Elucidating the status of type specimens deposited in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s Fungarium”, showing a pie chart and images of fungal specimens including one collected by Charles Darwin.

A researcher stands next to a poster titled “Fungarium Sequencing Project: Specimens of Particular Interest from the Kew Fungarium”, featuring specimen images, a world map, and historical figures including Darwin.

What do you find when you sequence 7,000 fungi? We’re starting to find out… 🍄🔬

At this year’s British Mycological Society conference - a key meeting point for the UK’s fungal research community - we shared some of the first discoveries from our Fungarium Sequencing Project.

I attended my 1st British Mycological Society conference this week and presented the latest from FSP.

Thanks to all the organisers and attendees. I really enjoyed the diversity of topics (evolution, medicine, agriculture, architecture(!)) across current fungal science research. #BMS2025