It is known only from the Waikato region. This large bracket fungus grows on living pukatea trees. It has a single host and a single home. The fruiting body spans twenty to fifty centimetres across. It is large and woody. The top is brown. The pore surface underneath is white. It looks like a shelf attached to the side of the tree. A fungus that resembles furniture. The visual impact is substantial. The presence is undeniable. The fungus acts as a parasite. It enters the tree through wounds in the bark. Then it slowly rots the heartwood from the inside out. It can take decades to kill a mature pukatea. But eventually, the tree will weaken. It will fall. The fungus will then continue to feed on the dead wood. It persists for years. It is a slow killer. It is a patient decomposer. The timeline is long. The outcome is certain. This species has not yet been formally named. It is known only as Ganoderma sp. 'Awaroa'. The name comes from the location where it was first discovered. It is one of New Zealand's most endangered fungi. Only a handful of known individuals exist. It is a fungus that does not even have a proper name. The anonymity adds to its fragility. The lack of classification reflects its rarity. The pukatea tree itself is a species of lowland swamp forest. These forests are now rare due to land clearance. The fungus depends on mature pukatea trees. These trees are themselves threatened. The survival of the fungus is tied to the survival of its host. Two rare things depend on each other. The connection is vital. The vulnerability is shared. To find this fungus, a person would need to visit a remnant of lowland swamp forest in the Waikato. They must find a mature pukatea tree. Then they must look up. The large bracket is hard to miss. But the trees are few. The search is difficult. The reward is rare. It is a conservation priority. It is a species on the edge. It serves as a reminder. When the forests are lost, the fungi are lost too. The swamp forest is shrinking. The pukatea trees are fewer. The bracket fungus holds on. It waits for a host that is running out. It can wait. It has been waiting for decades. It can wait a little longer.