Sci Fi. Spaceship crash maroons a man (alone) on either island or planet covered with fungus. Struggles to keep fungus from taking over his body. Spoiler ahead.

[Mary Carolyn]

I can't remember if this is a short story or a novel. Man marooned on island or planet. The entire area is all fungus. It keeps growing on him and his struggle is to keep the fungus from taking over his body. The salt water of the ocean around him kills the fungus. He has to breath the salt water to keep his lungs clear of fungus. I think I read this in the 1960's. It was not YA.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Moving to Unsolved. Remember the cover?

[Mary Carolyn]

No Lobstergirl, I can't remember a cover or anything else about this story/novel. It has been easily 40 to 50 years since I read it. But it has stayed in my mind.

[Pearl]

It definitely sounds like "Fungus Isle" by Philip M. Fisher. It's a short story written way back. Link: http://www.unz.org/Pub/FantasticMyste...
It was collected in the book: Famous Fantastic Mysteries

[Fresno Bob]

There is a Ray Bradbury short story like this, it might be "Rains of Venus"

[Mary Carolyn]

Thank you Numnut. I am very happy to find this story. It seems very close. I am amazed you were able to tell me about it! But it is not quite it because as I recall, the story was more modern. Fresno Bob, I have searched for short stories by Bradbury, and I can't find one with that title. I will keep looking. Thank you both.

[Fresno Bob]

Pops, the Bradbury story I was thinking of is called "the long rain" and is probably not what you are looking for

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Carolyn, are you still looking for this story or did you find it?

[Nóinín]

Here's another short story about a married couple stranded on an island with maneating funghi: “The voice in the night“ by William Hope Hodgson
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
or https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_V...
for a synopsis.

[Mary Carolyn]

Numnut wrote: "It definitely sounds like "Fungus Isle" by Philip M. Fisher. It's a short story written way back. Link: http://www.unz.org/Pub/FantasticMyste...
It was collected in the book: [book:F..."
Thank you so much Numnut. This is much like it but the story or novel I recall was of a single survivor, who finally succumbs. Thank you for tryingl

Lobstergirl wrote: "Carolyn, are you still looking for this story or did you find it?"
I am still looking. Thank you for asking

[Mary Carolyn]

Fresno Bob wrote: "Pops, the Bradbury story I was thinking of is called "the long rain" and is probably not what you are looking for"
I know Bradbury well, and The Long Rain, but that is not it. Thank you for trying.

[David]

marooned fungus bump

[Kris]

A few guesses:

- The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster?

- Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss?

- Omnivore by Piers Anthony?

[Mary Carolyn]

Thank you Kris and David. I read the blurbs on all of these and I don't believe it is any of these. I won't give up! Again, thank you!

[Rainbowheart]

Still looking, Carolyn?

[Mary Carolyn]

Thank you, yes. I was told about one story, Fungus Isle, very old, like Jules Verns old. The one I am looking for was more modern, and involved being marooned by spaceship crash. It was first person, one man, alone on an island covered by fungus like plants. He didn't know what they were at first. I remember, like in the old story, he had to clear the fungus from his lungs by breathing in sea water, which always nearly killed him. I cannot recall how it ended.

[Kris]

I added genre, more plot details and a spoiler alert to the topic header. Feel free to update it.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Still looking now?