Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Subclass: Hymenomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Marasmiaceae
Genus: Marasmius
Species: Marasmius
This tiny mushroom is one of the Marasmius species of fungi. It is a small mushroom (10+mm cap) and had a thin dark stalk. It was growing dead branch of a Bog Pine (Halocarpus bidwillii) during March.
There are about 500 Marasmius in this genus of mushrooms and identifying them sometimes hinges on a microscopic examination. Their humble appearance contributes to their not being readily distinguishable to non-specialists.
Photographed at the Wilderness Reserve on SH 94, Te Anau. It is probably Marasmius kanukaneus which despite the epithet is found on a range of hosts including bog pine.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
