Kew’s top 10 plant and fungi discoveries list in 2022 was topped by the newly found Queen’s hedgehog fungi, found in ancient beech woodland in Surrey.
It’s a white mushroom with soft spines beneath the cap instead of gills, which DNA analysis has revealed to be a distinct European species and not the North American fungus it was once assumed to be. It was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II.
Dr Tuula Niskanen, the research leader in Kew’s fungal diversity team, said that an estimated 2m fungal species – more than 90% of all fungi – remained to be described by science. She said:
“Fungi have remained such a mystery to us, compared to plants and many animals, because their cryptic lives mainly unfold hidden from our eyes and have been challenging to study with traditional techniques. Only in the last few decades, thanks to the arrival of DNA-based methods, have we started to understand the true diversity of this kingdom.”
