Mycological Collection of the Institute of Botany (SOMF)

Address: Mycological Collection (SOMF), Institute of Botany, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 23 Acad. G. Bonchev St., 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria

Curator: Assoc. Prof. Cvetomir M. Denchev, PhD
Phone: (+3592) 979-3775; E-mail: cmdenchev@yahoo.co.uk

In the Institute of Botany is housed the biggest fungal collection in Bulgaria, which includes over 26 200 specimens of all taxonomical groups of straminipilous fungi and fungi (incl. lichenized fungi). This is the only one Bulgarian mycological collection, which is registered in Index Herbariorum – from June 1999. The specimens presented in SOMF are the main subject on which is based the work on the monograph series “Fungi of Bulgaria”, volumes 1-6, “Red List of fungi in Bulgaria”, “Red book of Bulgaria” (vol. 1, “Plants and fungi”).

The Mycological collection was found in 1954 by Assoc. Prof. PhD Cv. Hinkova. The curators of SOMF were: Assoc. Prof. PhD Cv. Hinkova (during the period 1954-1983), Assoc. Prof. PhD V. Fakirova (1983-1989) and Assoc. Prof. PhD C. Denchev (1989-).

The work in the collection of the scientists and workers outside the department of Taxonomy and Ecology of Fungi, Institute of Botany, is carried out on a fixed set of rules after the written request to the curator and with received answer for permission. Fungal specimens for revision and comparison could be sent only at the request from the curators of the official (University, Institutute, etc.) mycological collections or herbaria, which is advisable to be registered in Index Herbariorum.