Ecologist finds rare form of fungus in Kent

A rare form of fungus has emerged in Kent.

Artomyces pyxidatus, known as candelabra coral, was spotted by ecologist Rhianna Dix during a recent foray in Addington.

A Kent Wildlife Trust volunteer also recorded a specimen at Hothfield Heathlands in Ashford. Kent in 2021.

The fungus, known as crown-tipped coral fungus due to the crown-like tips of its branches, was thought to be extinct in the UK, the trust said.

Ms Dix and Mike Green, of the London Fungus Network, were walking near West Malling when they came across the specimen.

The trust said there had been no records of the fungus in the 20th Century until 2012 when it was found growing in Suffolk.

Mr Green said the fungus was commonly found in North America, usually on decaying wood, like the tree stump it was growing from in Addington.

He said he had posted on social media to help establish what type of fungus it was.

"I didn't recognise it at first," he said. "I had two replies telling me it was the rare species."

Natasha Aidinyantz, of the Kent Wildlife Trust, says how the fungus ended up in Kent is "a bit of a mystery".

She said: "It's always exciting to find a rare and unusual plant, animal or fungus in your home county, but what makes this particularly interesting is that we seem to have a pattern of distribution building in the east of England, starting in East Anglia and then making its way down to Kent and Sussex.

"But it just goes to show that nature doesn't play by our rules, and that's very much what is so beautiful about it."

The latest record has been submitted to iRecord, with a sample sent to the Fungarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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