DIVERSITY OF MACRO FUNGI AND MYXOMYCETES AT PALASDARI, MAHARASHTRA

The authors present here the report of macro fungi and members of Myxomyecetes occurring at Palasdari. This is a small village and a common picnic spot. It is also a point of study tours of many school and college students, due to the presence of a forest and a waterfall. The present paper is a report of findings of lower plants, such as fungi along with the still less studied group, Myxomycetes. There are several reports of fungal biodiversity from different places of India, but there is no report about the Palasdari Flora. The fungal specimen observed were Psathyrella umbonata, Polyporus versicolor, Hypoxylon fragiforme, Auricularia auricula-judae, Marasmius rotula and the members of Myxomycetes were Physarum bogoriense, Physarum polycephalum. These specimens are economically valuable and possess medicinal value. Physarum polycephalum is used in many medical treatments and in the preparation of biological robot. Auricularia is important in the remedies of throat ailments. The human interference in these forests is increasing day by day. The construction work of new buildings and roads and carelessness of picnic goers are resulting in spoilage of vegetation. The present paper throws a light on the important and unseen treasures of nature, from this location that needs to be saved.