16 Most Bizarre Mushroom And Fungi Species In The World

The Devil's Cigar (Chorioactis geaster): The body of this extremely rare mushroom looks like a fuzzy brown or black cigar at first. But when this bizarre fungus reaches maturity, it peels itself back like a banana — or as if it were a blossoming flower of death. When it peels back, the strange fungus forms a star-like shape of four to seven rays. Inside the body, its spore-bearing tissue is anywhere from white to brown, depending on its age. When it opens, a distinct hissing sound can be heard — along with a smoky cloud of spores. This extremely rare mushroom has a very odd distribution; you can find it only in Texas, Oklahoma, and Japan. So far, scientists can't say for sure what these different but specific locales have in common to host this fungus.