Fungi Oz is the all Australian Mushroom App, although many of its species grow worldwide. Australia is estimated to have 200,000 fungi species compared with only 6,000 European. However, only about 12,000 Australian species have been identified and only about 6,000 have been named and described.
• This is an interactive app, designed to help users identify their finds and contribute to knowledge about Australian species.
• Fungi Oz initially showcases 300 Australian mushroom species with more than 850 excellent photos. It is interactive and due to being internet based, has the capacity to include many more user and developer submitted species.
• IDENTIFYING A FIND IS EASY AND INTUITIVE: It works through 3 simple steps that teach about identifying features and guide your observations.
-First, you select the collection icon that best matches a find’s most obvious features. The five collection icons are: “Gills”, “Pores”, “Corals”, “Clubs and Spikes”, “Globes and Cups” and “Spines/Jellies and Others”.
-2a. Now you can enter a single key word that describes a main feature of your find. "For instance, "Red" will produce all red species in the collection and "Waxy "will produce photo icons and names of all with a waxy surface. No technical language needed.
- 2b. An even better approach is to match your find to a category icon within any large collection. Opening the Gills icon for example, displays twenty one categories with photo examples of each. 14 of these are “characteristic feature categories”, such as “Ear-shaped”, “Tall stem“, “Brittle, no ring“, “Waxy Cap” and “Web vs Gills“. Another 7 gills categories specify where the specimen was growing, such as “On Trees”, “On Grass”, “On dead wood”, “With Moss”.
- Selecting a category icon opens excellent photographic thumbnails of all corresponding species.
• EACH SPECIES ENTRY INCLUDES:
-2-3 quality in-the-field photos focused on identifying features.
-Descriptions in everyday language.
-Any especially informative web link.
• A VISUAL GLOSSARY contains 113 entries grouped in 12 categories such as “Cap Shapes”, “Gill types”, “Stem Shapes“ and "Textures". The glossary helps users identify and describe their finds.
• FUNGI OZ IS INTERACTIVE: It gives you 7 ways to add to knowledge about Australian species.
-Easily report target species sightings to FungiMap from within the app. Fungimap is the Australian citizen-science organisation that maps where species are found throughout Australia.
-Easily add photos and descriptions of species not yet included in Fungi Oz
-Easily add your species identification knowledge. This is important because the classification of mushrooms is a work in progress, especially in Australia.
-Add better photos of Fungi Oz species.
-Add photos of original fungi recipes.
-Add a photo with details of upcoming Fungi Events
-Fungi Oz Facebook, Website and Email all open from within the app and the Facebook page is open to user posts.
• 5 Fungi Oz pages link users to "BEST ON THE WEB RESOURCES" for:
-GROWERS: Kits, Courses, Spawn, Dowels and equipment.
-FUNGI & HEALTH: Books, supplements and knowledge about the benefits of various fungi for human preventative and therapeutic health, bioremediation, garden and forest health, and even for pet health.
-FUNGI TOURS & EDUCATION: Links to teachers kits, courses, seminars and forays as well as Fungi Tourism in three continents.
-GOURMETS: Recipes and sources in three continents for dried and fresh gourmet fungi such as morels, trumpets and chanterelles.
-PRINTED FUNGI GOODS: including cards, calendars, clothing, jigsaws, device covers & bags.
• OTWAY VISITOR links you with Australias Otway National Park, where most of the initial 300 Fungi Oz species were photographed. This region includes the Mountain biking mecca of Forrest on its northern edge and The Great Ocean Road to the south.