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The Fungus Flora of Orkney has been compiled from the results of eight years collecting by one of the authors, combined with deteminations of the material collected by Tom Eggeling and his friends over a 12-year period. To this has been added the determinations of material collected by Andrew Smith and Mark Baker. This information has been combined with records gleaned from the literature and personal notes of other collectors. Records have also been incorporated from the late Professor Helenius Trail whose collections are housed in the University of Aberdeen and Colonel Halcro Johnston whose herbarium is deposited in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
In spite of the rather limited range of vegetational types in Orkney a surprising number of taxa has been recorded and as far as possible each has been related to its phanerogamic associates. Undoubtedly after further searching more fungi will be found and the lichenized forms, when seriously catalogued, will add another substantial number. At least some phytogeographical elements can be recognisd especially arctic/alpine species on Hoy. Other islands offer more lowland communities. On the whole the Orkney mycota can be considered an extension of that of mainland Scotland. Of the 1,500 species or so 26 are new to Britain and perfect states of 16 have yet to be found. Several collections are from the small mixed plantation at Binscarth; the now expanding natural birch wood on Hoy has also proved very fruitful.
