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Any fungiologists about?

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 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 20 Jun 2012
Spotted this weird structure today - anyone got a clue what it is? I thought maybe a fungus but can't find anything like it on the web. There were three of them, in a beech wood and it was damp underfoot (rained last night).

http://www.pbase.com/image/144195733

It was quite large, c15cm across.


Chris
 jon 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs:

DON'T eat it Chris...
OP Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 20 Jun 2012
In reply to jon:

Really, thought it might go nice with some fried tatties?



Chris
 jon 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs:

Oh, go on then.
 ring ouzel 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs: Chris the people who study fungi are called mycologists but that's not what you need. You should head over to Singletrack forum as it looks like an old shrunken mountain bike helmet and they'll be able to tell you what kind.
hth
OP Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 20 Jun 2012
In reply to ring ouzel:
> (In reply to Chris Craggs) Chris the people who study fungi are called mycologists but that's not what you need.


I knew that, I thought a bit of frivolity might attract a few Mikeologists!


Chris
 Chris the Tall 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs:
Don't know if it's an unusually good conditions for fungi at the moment, but last night spotted an huge cluster of bracket fungi (or something similar) on a tree in Bluebell Wood (other side of road from the ford in Whitely Woods).

I would have stopped to take a pic, but I was rushing to get back in time for the footy !
 Mr Powly 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs:

may not be a fungus at all http://tinyurl.com/cvjh2m7
In reply to Chris Craggs: looks like clathrus crispus but that is american.
 David Hooper 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs: hi Chris,we are mycologists,not fungiologists.

I'm very impressed,I've never sees one in 40 years of studying them. It's clathrus ruber (Latin for red).very rare in GB maybe confined to south coast.maybe global warming is extending their range northwards. Did it have a sickly smell? They are related to stinkhorns and mimic the visuals and smell of carrion dead meat so that flies will disperse the spores.

Probably not edible.
 gethin_allen 20 Jun 2012
In reply to Chris Craggs:
I'm a mycologist (sort of), but I work with filamentous fungi (as found growing on your bread and in your compost bin) and concentrate on the genetics aspect .
But ye' as David has said above it's one of these
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/clathrus-ruber.php

Surprised you couldn't find any info on it as being so colourful and weird gets put on the front of many books and web pages.
 dek 20 Jun 2012
In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:
> (In reply to Chris Craggs) looks like clathrus crispus but that is american.

Eh?!
Did you use Pretzel Logic there Mr Goat?
OP Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 20 Jun 2012
In reply to David Hooper:
> (In reply to Chris Craggs) hi Chris,we are mycologists,not fungiologists.
>
> I'm very impressed,I've never sees one in 40 years of studying them. It's clathrus ruber (Latin for red).very rare in GB maybe confined to south coast.maybe global warming is extending their range northwards. Did it have a sickly smell? They are related to stinkhorns and mimic the visuals and smell of carrion dead meat so that flies will disperse the spores.
>
> Probably not edible.

Thanks for that, brilliant! We are in the Pyrenees, so maybe they are a bit commoner here than oop norff. I spotted three in about 30 yards, though they were all past their best and pretty well collapsed.

Always good to see new stuff!


Chris
In reply to dek: I came close!
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