the NZ native oyster mushroom Māori knew well

Size
Cap: 5–15 cm
Lifespan
7–14 days
Diet
Saprotrophic: feeds on dead wood of native broadleaf trees. Grows on fallen logs, stumps and standing deadwood, particularly on beech, tawa and mahoe.
Habitat
Grows on dead wood of native broadleaf trees. Forms large, fan-shaped golden-yellow to olive-brown brackets in overlapping clusters. Flesh has distinctive aniseed-like smell when fresh.
Range
Throughout North and South Islands on dead wood in native broadleaf forests. Most common in South Island beech forests and North Island central plateau.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Habitat loss from forest clearance and removal of decaying logs. Climate change reducing forest floor moisture. Collection by mushroom enthusiasts.
Population
New Zealand's native oyster mushroom on dead hardwood logs in native forests. Golden-yellow to olive-brown caps grow in overlapping clusters with an aniseed-like smell. Prized by foragers.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
The Tawaka is the golden treasure of the native forest, defined by a colour that stands out against the browns and greens of the bush. The cap is a striking golden-yellow to olive-brown, shaped like an oyster or a fan, often growing in overlapping clusters on a rotting log. The surface is smooth and slightly greasy when wet, dry and matte when the weather is fine. The gills are white to cream-coloured, running down the stem in a pattern that looks almost like fine combed hair. The Tawaka is New Zealand's answer to the oyster mushroom. It is not as well-known as its cultivated cousins, but it is every bit as delicious, with a firm, meaty texture and a distinctive smell of aniseed that sets it apart from other edible fungi. When you find a fresh cluster, the aroma is unmistakable - sweet, spicy, and slightly liquorice-like, a promise of the meal to come. Biologically, the Tawaka is a primary decomposer of native hardwoods. Its mycelium produces powerful enzymes that break down the tough lignin in beech and tawa logs, turning solid wood into soft, crumbly humus. It is one of the first fungi to colonise freshly fallen timber, starting the long process of decay that will eventually return the tree's nutrients to the soil. Without the Tawaka and its oyster mushroom relatives, the forest would be buried in its own dead wood. The Tawaka is also a quiet victim of the modern world. Its habitat - native hardwood forests with plenty of dead and decaying logs - has been drastically reduced by logging, land clearance, and the removal of fallen timber from forest floors. In many areas where it was once common, it is now rare, surviving only in the deepest, least disturbed gullies. It is not yet endangered, but it is watching the forest disappear around it. To find a Tawaka is to find a taste of the ancient forest. It is a reminder that the bush is not just a collection of trees and birds, but a living, breathing system of decay and renewal, where even the deadest log is full of life and flavour.