Agaricales: the most dominated macroscopic fungi in Tahura Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park

Abstract

Agaricales is a group of fungi from the Basidiomycota division which is widely known by the public because it easily grows on various substrates and is widely distributed, especially in the tropics. Most members of this order have an important role in the environment as well as a great economic value. However, research on the Agaricales fungi diversity in Aceh is still rare, especially in Pocut Meurah Intan Forest Park (Tahura PMI). This research contributes to the knowledge about this fungi biodiversity found in Aceh and mainly the PMI Tahura. The aim of this research was to record the diversity of the order Agaricales in the Tahura PMI area. Samples were collected through exploration along the track and identification was carried out based on the morphological and ecological characters. The results obtained showed that 50 species from the order Agaricales were included in 16 families out of 30 genera which were dominated by the Marasmiaceae family and the Marasmius genus. Nine samples were known to have the potential of being used as food, while 6 of them as medicines. This research shows that the Tahura PMI area has a high diversity of Agaricales with potentials that can be utilized for the benefit of mankind in the future.