Exploring Macrofungal Diversity in Mid Garhwal Himalayas, Bharsar, Uttarakhand, India
Akash Kumar *
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, VCSG UUHF, Bharsar (Pauri Garhwal)-246123, Uttarakhand, India.
Sanjeev Ravi
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Hill Agriculture, VCSG UUHF, Bharsar (Pauri Garhwal)-246123, Uttarakhand, India.
B. P. Nautiyal
Department of PSAMPs, College of Horticulture, VCSG UUHF, Bharsar (Pauri Garhwal)-246123, Uttarakhand, India.
Sanjeev Kumar Verma
Department of Microbiology, College of Hill Agriculture, VCSG UUHF, Bharsar (Pauri Garhwal)-246123, Uttarakhand, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A systematic survey of wild macrofungi was conducted in the temperate evergreen forests of the Bharsar region, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, situated at elevations between 1800 m and 2300 meters above sea level. Field visits and specimen collection were carried out from August to June during the academic year 2024 to 2025. Fifty distinct mushroom species were recorded from various locations and identified based on morphological traits. These belonged to thirty-six genera, twenty-four families and six orders within the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. Among these, eighteen species were edible, twenty inedible or poisonous, eight medicinal and four of unknown edibility. The most represented families included Amanitaceae, Russulaceae and Polyporaceae, with dominant orders such as Agaricales, Russulales and Polyporales. The study highlights the rich macrofungal diversity and ecological significance of the Bharsar region.
Keywords: Diversity, survey, mushrooms, morphological identification, collection; Bharsar, Uttarakhand