The New Zealand Fungarium (PDD) Collection
Fungarium PDD is recognised as a Nationally Significant Collection.
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It is the world's foremost collection of New Zealand fungi, and is one of the few sizeable collections of fungi in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a unique, primary source of information on the fungi of New Zealand. All the major groups of fungi are represented, with emphasis on the plant pathogenic microfungi and wood decay basidiomycetes. Indigenous fungi are well represented, and approximately 1400 type specimens of New Zealand fungi are held. Specimens collected during surveys of plant diseases in the South Pacific are deposited in PDD. A database of all specimens is available online via our NZFungi website. An extensive library associated with the fungarium concentrates on taxonomic mycology and plant pathology, with many separates.
Important Collections
The fungarium is the main repository for New Zealand collections made by G.H. Cunningham (Aphyllophorales, Gasteromycetes, Uredinales), J.M. Dingley (Ascomycetes), E. Horak (Agaricales), S.J. Hughes (Hyphomycetes, sooty moulds), R.F.R. McNabb (Agaricales, Boletaceae, Dacrymycetaceae, Strobilomycetaceae, Tremellaceae), R.H. Petersen (Clavariaceae) and G.J. Samuels (Ascomycetes). The herbarium also has some of the fungal collections made by W. Colenso. These specimens, on long-term loan from the Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa), usually bear locality names, data which are missing from Colenso specimens held at Kew. K. Curtis's collection of about 400 extant specimens is held on long-term loan from the Cawthron Institute. Fungal specimens from the herbarium of the Plant Health and Diagnostic Station, Levin (LEV) have been incorporated into PDD.
Collection Size
There are over 95,000 dried specimens, stored in packets within carboard boxes that are kept on shelves. Between 1,000 and 2,000 specimens are added each year.
Geographic Coverage
Over 150 countries are represented in the collection with the following major holdings: New Zealand, the Pacific Islands (over 6000 specimens, including American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu), Australia, Canada, Germany, USA.
Specimen Protection
The collection is housed in air-conditioned facilities. Fire protection is provided by an Inergen gas flooding system. Type specimens are held in locked, fire-retardant cabinets. All specimens are placed in a freezer for one week before they are incorporated into the fungarium. Once a year the baseboards of the collection area and surrounding rooms are sprayed with a long-lasting permethrin-type insecticide.
Specimen availability
Specimens are made available to all bona fide researchers. Charges are made for identification and use of the specimens where appropriate.