The data presented here cover all the macromycete species recorded from the National Botanical Garden of Georgia from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. This is the first time a list of macromycetes from the National Botanical Garden of Georgia has been compiled; it totals 126 species, along with their ecological and trophic characteristics, collection date, and sources (herbarium, literature). Five species records from collections made between 2021–2024 are new to the Georgian mycobiota.

Botanical Garden, Macromycetes, New records

In 1909, a mycological cabinet was established as a part of the National Botanical Garden of Georgia (NBGG), dedicated to the studying fungal pathogens of agricultural plants (Narodnyy komissariat zemledeliya 1931; Nakhutsrishvili 1986). Following this, the earliest macromycete specimens collected within the NBGG date back to 1913-1915. However, to date, a comprehensive mycological study has not been conducted within the NBGG. Instead, data on herbarium specimens of the NBGG macromycetes are scattered in various literature sources (Voronov 1915; Voronikhin 1915; Voronikhin 1916; Voronov 1922; Voronikhin 1927; Bondarzew 1953; Nakhutsrishvili 1972; Nakhutsrishvili 1975; Gulmagarashvili 1976; Gulmagarashvili 1978; Melik-Khachatrian et al. 1985; Nakhutsrishvili 1986; Ghobad-Nejhad et al. 2009; Jorjadze et al. 2022) and in herbarium collections ( TBI; TGM). Our goal in this study, is to unify available earlier and recent data and make a comprehensive list of the macromycetes recorded in the NBGG.

Study area

The NBGG is situated in the southeastern part of Tbilisi (Fig. 1). It occupies the lower reaches of the Tsavkisistskali Gorge (a right tributary of the Mtkvari River). On the left bank are the slopes of the Sololaki Ridge, and on the right bank are the slopes of the Tabori Ridge. Both are southeastern spurs of the Trialeti Range, which is part of the Lesser Caucasus Mountain system. The highest elevation is 662 m, and the lowest is 435 m a.s.l. The climate is dry continental, with hot and dry summers and mild winters. The annual average temperature is 13°C, and the average annual precipitation is 518 mm. The terrain is mostly rocky with poor soil cover. Natural vegetation in and around the NBGG is typical of the eastern part of the Trialeti Range (Maruashvili 1970; Gagnidze et al. 1987; Kvachakidze 2010) and is dominated by hemi-xerophyllous shrubs: Spiraea hypericifolia L., Atraphaxis caucasica (Hoffm.) Pavlov, and Paliurus spina-christi Mill. There are fragments of arid open woodlands, mainly characterized by Celtis caucasica Willd., areas of steppe with Stipa capillata L., and sparsely vegetated dry rocky outcrops. Non-native species such as Fraxinus ornus L. and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle are naturalized in the semi-arid habitats.

The total area of the NBGG is about 128 ha and contains collection plots of Himalayan, East Asian, North American, Mediterranean, and West Georgian vegetation. It also includes East Georgian trees and shrubs, pines, conifers, cedars, rare and endangered Caucasian plants, lilacs, herbaceous ornamental plants, and medicinal plants,. Other features include an ethnobotanical display, plant conservation plot, historical arboretum, Cypress Alley, Bamboo Groove, Rose Garden, and the Garden of Cultivars.

The NBGG area was used for ornamental plant cultivation during monarchical times, 300-350 years ago. According to historical sources, there were three smaller gardens within the territory of the modern NBGG, owned by the Royal Family in the 17th-18th centuries (Bagrationi 1735). After the Russian conquest of the Georgian Kingdom in 1801, the Royal Garden was renamed the Treasury Garden of Tbilisi. From 1845, it became known as the Tbilisi Botanical Garden. Its official name today is the National Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Figure 1. 

Location of NBGG in Tbilisi.

The macromycete specimens were collected opportunistically from various habitats within the NBGG during the non-winter seasons of 2021-2024. During field surveys, the fruit bodies, habitat, and substrate were recorded and described, specimens were photographed using Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400 and Nikon Coolpix L830 cameras. Microscopic characteristics were examined using an OLYMPUS CX31 light microscope, Celestron 5MP Digital Microscope Imager and Celestron Digital Imager HD Windows App (https://www.celestron.com/). KOH (5%) solution was used as the mounting medium, and KOH (5%) and NH₃ for colour reactions. Species identification was undertaken using sources by Bondartsev (1953), Melik-Khachatrian et al. (1985), and Læssøe and Petersen (2019).

We examined old literature records and herbarium collections; the herbarium specimens we list are stored at the Herbarium of the Department of Fungi and Spore-bearing Plants, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University ( TBI). We did not revise the taxonomic validity of earlier collections of herbarium specimens. Species nomenclature follows Index Fungorum (www.indexfungorum.org).

Fifty-five species were recorded from the NBGG during the 2021–2024 surveys; five of these are new records to the Georgian mycobiota: Lepiota pseudolilacea Huijsman, Melanoleuca exscissa (Fr.) Singer, Psilocybe coronilla (Bull.) Noordel., Entoloma politum (Pers.) Noordel., and Gymnopus impudicus (Fr.) Antonín, Halling & Noordel. (Table 1; Figures 2–3). The total number of macromycete species now known from the NBGG is 126. This includes species recorded during the 2021–2024 surveys, as well as species known from literature and earlier collections (Table 1; Figures 4–11). The table provides all recorded species along with their current names, families, habitats, substrates, collection dates, storage locations, and literature sources.

Of the 126 species, 12% belong to the phylum Ascomycota and 88% to Basidiomycota. In terms of trophic function, 66% of the species are saprotrophic—of these, 47.6% are associated with soil, detritus, or plant debris, and 19% are deadwood-associated. Additionally, 12.7% are wood decomposers, including possible parasites; 16.7% are mycorrhiza-forming; 0.8% are parasites; and 2.4% have undetermined ecology (saprotrophic or mycorrhizal).

Figures 2–3. 

2: Gymnopus impudicus; 3: Entoloma politum.

Figures 4–11. 

4: Collybia personata; 5: Scleroderma cepa; 6: Helvella monachella; 7: Pluteus romellii; 8: Ganoderma australe; 9: Inocybe asterospora; 10: Coriolopsis gallica; 11: Agrocybe praecox.

We would like to thank the reviewers and the journal's editorial board for their constructive remarks and helpful suggestions.