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.

Basket Fungi (Ileodictyon cibarium): Also called "stink cage," these hollow, structural mushrooms known as basket fungi are a hardy sort. Known as Basket Fungi for their concave shapes, these mushrooms grow in woody debris, cultivated soil, or even lawns. Found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Chile, this fungus was known to ancestors of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, by over 35 different names —one of them being "ghost droppings." Like many other strange fungi, the stink cage has a smelly, slimy layer that attracts flies who then spread their spores. When they're young, these bizarre mushrooms start out in an egg-shaped body that is usually white or grayish in color.