Under The Microscope

AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO FUNGI ON WOOD IN NEW ZEALAND, by I.A. Hood; Auckland University Press 1992; 424pp

There were high expectations and a feeling of pleasure when this book was first sighted, since contributions to the mycoflora of New Zealand are much in need. On delving inside the attractive cover, however, there were some tinges of disappointment. The presentation is somewhat dull and lifeless. Black and white line drawings illustrate the fungi described and there appears an awful lot of bare white paper throughout. Some 171 fungi are described with brief comments, and most of them named to species level.

The author states in the foreword that only common or distinctive forms are featured in the book and this together with an obvious pathological bias somewhat limits its scope. Some 98 species of pored or toothed sporophore fungi are presented, but only 41 gilled fungi. It is these gilled forms that tend to be the most noticed by students and their teachers, forest or conservation officers and amateur naturalists at whom the book is aimed. The simple to use identification key is a plus, however, for such readership.

Frequently in attempting to identify a fungus, a quick flip through the pages will often be rewarding if the illustrations are in colour. The drawings in this book are not, unfortunately, and although there are 8 coloured plates depicting 37 sporophores they are limited in their usefulness. The timber rots illustrated could well be replaced by actual fungi. The lack of colour and restricted treatment must, however, be tempered by the reasonable price of the book and a largely undescribed mycoflora.

The illustrations have been painstakingly drawn, but it is a pity that many of the drawings were not larger.

The main section of the book is preceded by a good general introduction and the book concludes with a perfectly satisfactory bibliography, references being given for every fungus depicted.

It is always easy to criticise and notwithstanding the above points, Ian Hood must be applauded for attempting a difficult compilation of fungi on wood. Any careful contribution to the fungal flora of New Zealand is valuable and this guide should find a place on the bookshelves of all interested in New Zealand mycology and plant pathology.

A.L.J. Cole is head of the Plant and Microbial Sciences Department at the University of Canterbury