Ascomycetes | Basidiomycetes | Classifications | Fruit Body Structure | Slime Molds
Phallales (Stink Horns)
This family contains the mushrooms which you
probably would not know were mushrooms!! I find these to be fascinating
because of their different forms. They start off looking like a puffball
because they are incased in an outer skin known as the 'Peridium'. This soon
peels away revealing it's contents that are nothing like the puffballs. As
the name suggests, they stink!!! The foul smell however is vital for the
dispersal of their spores as they rely on insects which are attracted to the
smell.
Family: Clathraceae
Can be found on ground or on wood. Some have a stems which branch out to
form arms at the top, (star fish like structure) or with just a swollen tip,
these are often brightly coloured. Others are without stems but form a
lattice like structure. They are foul smelling and carry their spores within
a layer of slime coating the inner sides of the arms or lattice structure.
Aseroa Rubra (Flower fungus)
Found at the Manawatu Gorge Track on April 8th, 2001. Quite an exciting
foray for me, a few minutes after I found this mushroom I also found the
amazing Hericium clathroides.
This mushroom was growing among the dead fibers in the broken edge of a tree
branch. All that was visible was the orange arms.
You will normally smell this fungus before you see it. It stinks.
Notice
how the arms are split in two. The volva or cup is quite clear at the base
of the stem which is white and hollow. Eight bright orange arms extend above
it.
In the centre, the spores line up in a circle in the form of a horrible
looking brown slime below which there is just a hollow cavity.
Edibility:
NO!!!!
Even if it was, the smell would turn away a skunk.
Ileodictyon cibarium (White Basket Fungus)
Found on the Manawatu Gorge Track growing from ground. End of July, 2000.
As it's common name suggests, it looks like a white basket. The basket is
cylindrical in shape coated with the spore carrying slime on the inside of
the frame.
Starts off as an egg when young, this soon ruptures thus releasing the fully
formed basket which quickly expands to take
the shape shown in the above picture In the
lower picture you can see the egg as it starts to rupture.
First Photo : Expanded Basket
Second Photo: Egg Rupturing
WARNING
Different people react differently to different mushrooms.
NEVER eat a wild mushroom without being 100% sure it is safe to do so.
Best Gourmet Mushrooms in New Zealand
Last Update
17 Feb 2007