Funga Arctica & Alpina
In 1980, Gary Laursen hosted an international symposium on arctic and alpine fungi in Point Barrow, the northernmost tip of Alaska. The symposium resulted in a report and since then the symposium was repeated every 4th year in other arctic and alpine localities. We are proud finally to be able to show the results of our participation in this and the subsequent meetings and expeditions.
You can read about the results in seven volumes, of which the first three now are ready for download. Volume 1, Setting the Scene, describes the physical conditions in cold areas, history and exploration of arctic and alpine fungi, climate, geography and biology, interactions between 950 plants and their connected fungi, literature, etc. Volumes 2-7 are monographs of the different fungal groups. Volume 2 (Rusts) and 3 (Smut Fungi and Jelly fungi) are now ready for a free download (see below). Two more volumes, 4 and 5, will be ready at spring 2026, and the final two volumes in 2027.
We estimate the funga to finally consist of c. 3000 pages including 1400 species. Each species is described in two pages. The first includes 1) the taxonomic position, 2) a photo of the species, 3) current name and synonyms, 4) info on where and by whom it was collected, 5) the collector’s no. and the museum no., 6) a macroscopical description, 7) a microscopical description, 8) the habitat and 9) the distribution in arctic and alpine regions. The second page shows a map of the distribution in cold areas on the Northern Hemisphere, and one or more photos show relevant micro-characters.
Keys to the species in the volume are found in the beginning.
We wish you an interesting and fruitful reading!
Henning Knudsen, Torbjørn Borgen and Steen A. Elborne editors