Ghost Fungus

Description:

Omphalotus nidiformis, commonly known as "ghost fungus", is a gilled basidiomycete mushroom most notable for its bioluminescent properties, meaning... it glows in the dark! It's an Australian native species, and is also poisonous. Colour can vary between specimens from white to yellow, brown, and even purple. The other potential ID for this spotting is Pleurotus ostreatus, aka "oyster mushroom", a common and edible species (see notes). The two species are often confused. The reference links provide loads of information on this species, as well as some excellent photos.

Habitat:

Found on the Gold Creek walking track at Gold Creek Reservoir, which lies just to the west of Brisbane. Freshwater lake and dense native bushland vegetation of dry eucalypt forests and subtropical rainforests. Moderately sunny aspect, but surrounded by much larger eucalypt species like blue, grey and red gums. This specimen was found growing at the base of an ironbark tree. Cool and damp location.

Notes:

The only surefire way to be absolutely certain this is ghost fungus would be to view it at night. That is impractical in most cases, so the second best option is to see what species have been identified in the national park. The following list has identified Omphalotus nidiformis as occurring here, whereas Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster fungus, has not. Here's the list - https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetla...