Mushroom Diversity of Bhutan

Bhutan is a small, landlocked country with a population of 800,000 people, and an area of 38,394 km2 situated on the southern slope of the Eastern Himalayas. The Bhutan National Fungarium (BNF) housed at the National Mushroom Center (NMC) under Department of Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has developed a specimen collection representing the fungal diversity of Bhutan.

The National Mushroom Centre is based in Wanchutaba, Thimphu. One of the primary activities of the Centre is to develop a National Fungarium from collecting wild mushrooms, identifying the specimens and drying the fungi specimens for preservation in Bhutan National Fungarium. Currently, more than 4000 fungi specimens including poisonous, edible, and medicinal fungi have been accessioned.