ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka, with a humid tropical climate, is a potentially fungus-rich country. It has been estimated to have 33,000 species of fungi, but little more than 2000 of these have been documented. Compared to limited number studies of microfungi, more research has been directed toward lichens and macrofungi by mycologists in Sri Lanka. Some studies have been carried out on the taxonomy of microfungi, but based on estimates of the size of this group for other regions of the world, many more microfungi remain to be discovered. Very few edible mushrooms are consumed by people in Sri Lanka mainly due to the lack of knowledge, while commercial mushroom cultivation is also limited to a very few examples. This chapter addresses the current status of macrofungi, microfungi (including fungus-like organisms), and lichenological studies in Sri Lanka.
