Three isolates each, of nine different Trametes and five other wood inhabiting basidiomycetes, were collected from the indigenous forests of Zimbabwe, and the impact of temperature (20–60 °C), osmotic and matric potential (−0·5 to −8·0 MPa), and their interactions on in vitro growth compared. Generally, there was no significant difference between growth of isolates of the same species in relation to temperature. Temperature relationships of the species studied correlated well with their geographic distributions. Species occurring in hot, dry regions tolerated a wide temperature range, with some showing unusually high thermotolerance (55°, T. socotrana, T. cingulata and T. cervina). There were significant intra-strain differences for individual species in relation to solute potential on glycerol-modified media. Generally, growth of all species was better on glycerol- and KCl-modified osmotic media than on a matrically-modified medium (PEG 8000) at 25, 30 and 37°. The limits for growth on the osmotic media were significantly wider than matric medium, being −4·5 to −5·0 and −2·5 to −4·5 MPa, respectively. An Irpex sp. grew at lower water potentials than all other species, with good growth at −7·0 MPa. This study suggests that the capacity of these fungi for effective growth over a range of temperatures, osmotic and matric potentials contributes to their rapid wood decay capacities in tropical climates.