Medium to large agaric, growing on wood (particularly at the base of trees and on stumps), with a white spore print. Pileus varying considerably in colour, from white or pale to yellow, brown, purple, blue or black (generally with the centre darker), not viscid. Lamellae decurrent. Stipe excentric, rarely central or lateral. Partial veil remnants absent. Fruit-body luminescent. Spores hyaline, non-amyloid, smooth; germ pore absent. Cheilocystidia present. Lamellar trama regular or interwoven. Pileipellis a cutis. Clamp connections present.

Similar to Pleurotus, but luminescent, and with the spores less elongate, usually subglobose to ellipsoid, in contrast to the typically oblong to bacilliform spores of Pleurotus. Pleurotus eugrammus is possibly luminescent, but it lacks cheilocystidia.

Omphalotus Fayod, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 6, 9: 338 (1889).

One species: Omphalotus nidiformis.

Omphalotus nidiformis (Berk.) O.K.Mill., Mycol. Helv. 6: 93 (1994).

W.A., S.A., Qld, N.S.W., Vic. and Tas. (and probably also N.T.).

In native forest (including cool-temperate rainforest), also in gardens with native trees, and plantations with exotic trees (pine).

On wood, most commonly at the base of trees, also on stumps, logs or buried roots.

Saprotrophic (white rot in heartwood).

Bougher, N.L. (2009a), Fungi of the Perth region and beyond: a self-managed field book, Western Australian Naturalists' Club (Inc.), Perth. [Description and Illustration of O. nidiformis]

Bougher, N.L. & Syme, K. (1998), Fungi of Southern Australia. University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands. [Description, Illustration and Microcharacters of O. nidiformis]

Fuhrer, B. (2005), A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. Bloomings Books, Hawthorn. [Description and Illustration of O. nidiformis]

Grey, P. & Grey, E. (2005), Fungi Down Under. Fungimap, South Yarra. [Description, Illustration and Map for O. nidiformis]

Grgurinovic, C.A. (1997a), Larger Fungi of South Australia. The Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium and The Flora and Fauna of South Australia Handbooks Committee, Adelaide. [Description, Illustration and Microcharacters of O. nidiformis]

Hood, I.A. (2003), An Introduction to Fungi on Wood in Queensland. University of New England, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, Armidale. [Description and B&W Illustration of O. nidiformis]

Kirchmair, M., Pöder, R., Huber, C.G. & Miller, O.K. Jr (2002), Chemotaxonomical and morphological observations in the genus Omphalotus (Omphalotaceae), Persoonia 17: 583–600. [Microcharacters of O. nidiformis]

McCann, I.R. (2003), Australian Fungi Illustrated. Macdown Productions, Vermont. [Illustration of O. nidiformis, including image made by fungus-emitted light]

Miller, O.K., Jr (1994), Observations on the genus Omphalotus in Australia, Mycol. Helv. 6: 91–100. [Description, B&W Illustration and Microcharacters of O. nidiformis]

Young, A.M. (2005b), A Field Guide to the Fungi of Australia. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. [Description and B&W Illustration of O. nidiformis]