page_title: Armillaria luteobubalina
section_title: Habitat and distribution
hierarchical_section_title: Armillaria luteobubalina / Habitat and distribution
caption_attribution_description: English: A photo of typical karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forest near Pemberton in south west Western Australia
context_page_description: Armillaria luteobubalina, commonly known as the Australian honey fungus, is a species of mushroom in the family Physalacriaceae. Widely distributed in southern Australia, the fungus is responsible for a disease known as Armillaria root rot, a primary cause of Eucalyptus tree death and forest dieback. It is the most pathogenic and widespread of the six Armillaria species found in Australia. The fungus has also been collected in Argentina and Chile. Fruit bodies have cream- to tan-coloured caps that grow up to 10 cm in diameter and stems that measure up to 20 cm long by 1.5 cm thick. The fruit bodies, which appear at the base of infected trees and other woody plants in autumn, are edible, but require cooking to remove the bitter taste. The fungus is dispersed through spores produced on gills on the underside of the caps, and also by growing vegetatively through the root systems of host trees. The ability of the fungus to spread vegetatively is facilitated by an aerating system that allows it to efficiently diffuse oxygen through rhizomorphs—rootlike structures made of dense masses of hyphae.
context_section_description: Armillaria luteobubalina has been recorded in southeastern Australia, from the southeastern corner of Queensland through eastern New South Wales and across Victoria into southeastern South Australia. It also occurs in Tasmania and southwestern Western Australia. Those of the karri forests (consisting largely of the species E. diversicolor) of the southwest have paler and yellower caps than those in the jarrah forests (which contain predominantly Eucalyptus marginata) further north. The fruit bodies arise on wood, especially on stumps or around the base of trees, and often in huge numbers. They usually appear between April and July, although most production occurs in the second half of May. Abundant in woodlands, it can invade gardens and orchards, where it can attack many woody plants. The honey fungus infected and killed many plants near tuart trees (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) which had been cut down near Kings Park in suburban Perth. Armillaria luteobubalina is commonly found in eucalyptus forests in Australia, and is thought to be the most pathogenic and most widespread Armillaria species in the major western Australian forest types. The mushroom has also been reported from southern South America, in Argentina and Chile. A 2003 study of the molecular phylogenetics and pattern of its distribution in South America and Australia indicate that A. luteobubalina is an ancient species, originating before the separation of the precursor supercontinent Gondwana. Genetic differences between isolates in the South American and Australian populations indicate a long period of geographical separation, and the authors suggest that they "later might be regarded as independent taxa".
caption: A. luteobubalina grows in Karri forests, like this one in Pemberton, Western Australia.
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