Inside the world's largest collection of fungal specimens
Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Fungarium, where curators reveal the secrets of over 1.25 million dried specimens. Discover how this massive archive helps scientists track climate change, identify crop pathogens, and uncover new medicines.
The Fungarium is a massive scientific archive containing specimens from all seven continents, representing more than half of known global fungal diversity. The collection includes rare items like the rancid-smelling octopus stinkhorn and the green elf cup. Beyond mere display, these specimens allow researchers to extract DNA to find useful traits and study the impact of invasive species.
The collection's history is deep, beginning in 1879 with a 30,000-specimen donation from Rev. Miles J. Berkeley. It holds significant historical material collected by figures such as Charles Darwin and Alexander von Humboldt. Today, Kew is digitising the archive, making at least 1.1 million specimens accessible for free via a new online Data Portal to support global conservation efforts.
Source: Fungarium: The world's biggest fungal collection? | Dig Deeper Episode 7 | Kew Gardens
