Ileodictyon cibarium
| Basket fungus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Phallales |
| Family: | Phallaceae |
| Genus: | Ileodictyon |
| Species: | I. cibarium |
| Binomial name | |
| Ileodictyon cibarium Tul. (1844) | |
| Ileodictyon cibarium | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | glebal hymenium |
 | no distinct cap |
 | hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable |
| lacks a stipe |
 | spore print is olive-brown |
 | ecology is saprotrophic |
 | edibility: edible |
Ileodictyon cibarium is a saprobic species of fungus in the family Phallaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it commonly known as the basket fungus or the white basket fungus, alluding to the fruit bodies that are shaped somewhat like a round or oval ball with interlaced or latticed branches. While the immature volvae are edible, the mature fruit body is foul-smelling and covered with a slime layer containing spores on the inner surfaces.
Description
.JPG)
Basket fungus mature fruit body, showing covering of green/brown slime containing spores
Prior to the opening of the volva, the fruit body is egg-shaped and white to grayish in color. After opening, it is a whitish ball of meshes.
Habitat
%2C_next_to_a_ballpoint_pen..JPG)
Cross section of the unopened fruiting body of the New Zealand basket fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium), next to a ballpoint pen
This fungus grows alone or clustered together near woody debris, in lawns, gardens, and cultivated soil.
Edibility
The immature volvae are edible, if unappealing.
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.