Fungi can be very strange. Here’s our round-up of some of the weirdest fungi on the planet.
There’s no doubt that fungi is rather odd. Neither plants nor animals, these organisms belong to a kingdom all of their own, filled with fantastically shaped and vibrant specimens that look like they have come from another planet.
From one that looks like rotting dead fingers to another that can fire spores out at 90kph, and even ‘zombie fungi’, here are our favourite weirdest – and strangest – fungi…
6 weirdest fungi
Devil’s fingers (Clathrus archeri)
Octopus tentacles or demonic fingers? Either way, it would be a bit disconcerting to stumble upon these emerging from the underworld during a woodland stroll. Their putrid smell wouldn’t help either.
Clathrus archeri is, of course, neither cephalopod nor demon. It is a fungus that goes by the common names of Devil’s fingers and octopus stinkhorn, for obvious reasons. Introduced to the UK from the southern hemisphere a century ago, it is a rare sight here, fruiting between June and September. But if it is in your patch, it will be hard to miss.
Dung cannon (Pilobolus crystallinus)
Fungi aren’t generally known for their speed, yet one species is quicker off the mark than perhaps any other organism on the planet, the Pilobolus crystallinus or ‘dung cannon’.
The spores develop in a microscopic bundle that sits atop a fluid-filled bladder on a stalk. The bladder expands until the internal pressure causes it to squirt out its contents in a powerful jet, propelling the spores away at speeds of up to 90kph.
Even more impressive is that they reach their top speed in just a few millionths of a second – a rate of acceleration exceeding that of a bullet shot from an AK-47 rifle. Even though the fungi rarely reaches 5cm in height, this small organism can project its spores up to 200m away.
Hair ice
At first glance, hair ice doesn’t look like much. But against the dark, mouldering litter of wind-fallen twigs, branches and leaves, a pearly luminescence catches the curious eye, drawing you in for a closer look. Only then do you notice the wispy weirdness. A fluff that looks more fabric than ice, a perfectly coiffured beard of fine threads radiating out from the dead wood. What could it be… fibre-optic candyfloss?
Hair ice is most often seen on a winter’s morning, having grown the previous night on rotting wood. It only occurs when several other factors are just right: moisture, atmospheric conditions and temperature. And there has to be a secret extra ingredient – a fungus called Exidiopsis effusa.
Zombie fungi (Cordyceps and Ophicordyceps)
Just what’s needed in the world – zombie fungi! Both Cordyceps and Ophiocordyceps are fungi genera, which are composed of about 750 species. Many of them are parasitic, infecting insects and other arthropods with their spores.
Upon infection, some of the host tissue is replaced by the fungi’s mycelium and results in fruiting bodies growing out from the host’s body.
The fungi also cause a change in behaviour, in order to maximise their chance of passing onto new hosts.
Purple jellydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides)
Not quite sure what this fungus reminds you of? Intestines perhaps? Jelly babies? This jelly-like, colourful – and possibly slimy-looking – weird fungus is often found on dead beech trees across Europe and North America, where it works to break down the dead wood. Clusters are between 5-10cm across.
Dead man’s fingers (Xylaria polymorpha)
Looking eerily like human fingers pushing up through the earth or dead fingers infected with some deadly disease, the sight of these on a walk would be enough to give you nightmares for weeks. But fear not, you haven’t stumbled across a murder scene and there wasn’t once a human attached. This alarming sight is actually the fungus Xylaria polymorpha.
It is a saprobic fungus, a type of fungus that helps break down wood and other forest debris. Look out for it on forests floor in UK, Ireland, Europe and parts of North America.