Flora, Fauna, and Funga? The Case for a Third ‘F.’

Many people believe that a fungus is either some kind of mushroom (they are possibly good-looking, sometimes good to eat, and sometimes poisonous) or some kind of mold (which most people regard as something bad).

Fungi (yes that is the plural of fungus) play a very important role in our world. Most higher plants depend on some fungus to get important nutrients from their environment. The first real antibiotic (penicillin) was derived from a fungus. Many products that we drink or eat, like wine, bear and a lot of cheeses, also depend on fungi.