ÐÔÊӽ紫ý

Fungi underpin all life on Earth, yet it is estimated that more than 95 per cent of fungal species remain undiscovered. Holding over 1.25 million dried specimens, the Fungarium at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the UK is the largest fungi collection in the world, as well as one of the oldest and most scientifically important.

“They’re everywhere, involved in everything, and they’re all doing it really quiet and get none of the praise for doing so,” says , Fungarium collections manager at Kew. The extensive menagerie spans hundreds of years and includes multiple unique specimens, such as mushrooms collected during Charles Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle, a pathogen that targets coffee plantations, and parasitic fungi that infect invertebrates.

This collection of fungal diversity is a vital source of knowledge, supporting Kew’s scientific and conservation work while also helping visiting researchers from throughout the sciences, arts and humanities. Now, with the near-completion of Kew’s ambitious , which provides online access to its collections, the organisation will be able to influence scientific research across the globe.Ìý

In 2024, Kew’s scientists began another major project in the Fungarium. They have been tapping into the genetic information stored withinÌý50,000 type specimens, which are the definitive reference specimens of given species. looks to sequence about 7000 of these fungi, making the data open source and publicly available online over the coming years, unlocking new compounds and genetic secrets in the process that could accelerate the discovery of new useful chemicals and medicines.