16 Most Bizarre Mushroom And Fungi Species In The World

With about 14,000 described mushrooms currently inhabiting dank forest floors, decaying tree trunks, and dung piles, there are bound to be some strange-looking varieties. Some depart entirely from the toadstool silhouette—the stereotypical rounded-cap-atop-a-stem set—with lengthy hairlike spines, fanning shell shapes, flower-esque pedals, and lattice designs. Others that lack uniqueness in shape are fantastic in their royal blue, indigo, and even bioluminescent colors.

Black Witches' Butter (Exidia glandulosa): Black Witches' Butter. Jean-Baptiste Francois Bulliard, a French naturalist, first recorded this strange fungus in 1789. Named as such for its color and greasy consistency in wet weather, Black Witches' Butter appears on dead hardwood during the autumn and winter seasons. Alternately, in hot and dry weather, these mushrooms appear more greenish-brown and crusty.