Mushroom Diversity in Eastern Ghats of India. 2013. illus. 186 p. Hardcover.

This field guide on mushroom diversity of the Eastern Ghats of India is to be considered a maiden venture in the region. Considering the fact that dry deciduous subtropical regions have a lesser mushroom diversity, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest zones of Odisha were enlisted for survey and specimens collected for identification and photographing. As an output of this effort, Mushroom diversity in Eastern Ghats of India gives an account of 105 wild mushrooms occurring in the Eastern Ghat region in Odisha state prepared on the basis of field work undertaken by the authors over a three year period. For each species, botanical name, common English name and vernacular name as available, synonyms, author citations, family to which the fungus belongs, morphological description, and distribution is provided. Every entry is accompanied by a colour photograph taken in the mushroom's natural habitat. The edibility of collected specimens is noted on the basis of local information. The introduction provides an overview of the significance of macrofungi in our life down the ages, and each subsequent chapter deals with one order to make it easy to find a particular entry. The book is expected to be useful for naturalist and mycologist alike. (jacket)