This issue of Mycological Research News features: Vagaries in interest in natural products by drug discovery companies.

The first paper in this issue describes the application of topological analysis to hyphal branching patterns in fungal colonies for the first time. Molecular phylogenetic papers concern the relationships of genera and species of Peronosporaceae, South American Cortinarius species, Amanita spp. genotypes in Australian sclerophyll vegetation, new cryptic species of Albatrellus, Cantharellus and Ophiostoma, and the occurrence of group I introns in Beauveria bassiana.

The sterols of field and fungicide resistant Cercospora beticola have been studied, and three novel illudins are described from Coprinopsis episcopalis. An innovative seed-baiting technique to detect different orchid mycorrhizas at the same time has also been devised, and local site variations in fungi on pine needles is documented.

The following new scientific names are introduced in this part: Albatrellus citrinus, Cantharellus cascadensis, and Ophiostoma kryptum spp. nov.; and O. crenulatum (syn. Ceratocystiopsis crenulata) comb. nov.