Buzz
In honor of Halloween, let's delve into the bizarre world of nature, where certain species bear an uncanny resemblance to severed human body parts. These aren’t your typical oddly shaped potatoes or pumpkins—these plants and fungi consistently emerge looking like body bits.
10. Bleeding Tooth Fungus
The cap of Hydnellum pecki comes in a variety of shapes, and when it secretes a red, sticky substance, it could easily be mistaken for a bloody tooth fallen to the ground. This substance is sap, which is pushed out through the cap’s pores overnight as moisture accumulates in the roots. This process only occurs when the fungus is still young.
Another name for Hydnellum pecki is “strawberries and cream,” but it’s best not to taste it. While not poisonous, its peppery, bitter flavor makes it inedible. Additionally, the fungus absorbs cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, from the surrounding environment, which could be hazardous in high quantities.
Found across America and Eurasia, bleeding tooth fungi typically grow near pine trees. Research on Hydnellum pecki’s fruiting body has revealed the presence of atromentin, a compound with anticoagulant properties akin to heparin from human blood.
9. Doll’s Eye
We’ve already covered the dangers of deadly Actaea pachypoda, but its white oblong berries are the truly strange aspect of this plant. These berries perch atop red stems, resembling the eyes of Mr. Krabs, the boss from Spongebob Squarepants. The eerie berries are a warning sign, containing a cariogenic toxin that immediately sedates the heart’s cardiac muscle. Consuming them can result in a heart attack or even death.
The dark spot or 'pupil' of the eye is a scar created by the sharp end of the stalk early in the berry’s development. Each berry contains several seeds, and although most birds are resistant to the toxins, they ingest the berries and disperse the seeds through their feces.
The leaves, stems, and roots, along with the white, delicate flowers, can cause skin blisters upon contact. If ingested, they lead to intestinal inflammation. In large quantities, every part of doll’s eye can kill a human.
8. Girdled Dapperling
Several species of mushrooms have caps that bear a striking resemblance to human nipples. Many of these belong to the Lepiota genus. The cap of Lepiota boudieri starts off flesh-white and gradually darkens from ochre to dark brown in the center. The surface appears nearly smooth, like skin. It’s covered in thin, brown hairs. When wet, the moisture weighs the cap down, causing the stem to protrude and form a nipple, complete with an areola.
Out of the more than 10,000 species of mushrooms, 50–100 are toxic to humans. Around 6,000 people experience mushroom poisoning every year in the US, though most suffer only mild symptoms. Unfortunately, some fatalities occur due to mushroom toxicity. These deaths typically happen when mushroom foragers misidentify a toxic mushroom as edible.
Nearly all fatalities linked to mushrooms are due to those containing amatoxin. Lepiota boudieri, like many in the Lepiota genus, contains amatoxin and is extremely poisonous. Until recently, dapperlings were often called “parasol mushrooms,” particularly in Europe. This can be misleading for mushroom hunters, as one of the most popular edible mushrooms, Macrolepiota procera, is also known as the “parasol mushroom” and can easily be mistaken for the girdled dapperling.
7. Hooker’s Lips
Psychotria elata is a tree native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, including Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador. From December to March, its bright red bracts—specialized leaves—resemble puckered lips smeared with lipstick. The vibrant ruby color attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies. As the bracts open, they reveal tiny, star-shaped flowers and oval-shaped berries.
Hooker’s lips, also known as “hot lips” or “flower lips,” are a common gift in Central America to convey affection. The tree’s bark and leaves are used to treat earaches, skin rashes, and coughs, while Panamanian natives have historically used the plant for respiratory ailments.
Sadly, the popularity of hooker’s lips combined with deforestation has brought the species to the verge of extinction. An area equivalent to 200 football fields of Amazon rainforest is cleared every 15 minutes. Over the past 40 years, one-fifth of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed.
6. False Morels
For many American mushroom enthusiasts, the morel (Morchella) is considered the beluga caviar of the fungal world. Its popularity is so high that morels can sell for at least $20 per pound during their season. However, a major risk is that inexperienced foragers often confuse real morels with false morels, which are extremely toxic. Approximately 20 percent of mushroom-related fatalities occur after someone consumes a false morel.
There are multiple species of false morels, some of which are less toxic than others. In Nordic countries, the less toxic types are regarded as delicacies, where they are boiled and rinsed multiple times. Despite this preparation, the carcinogenic hydrazine gyromitin remains in trace amounts, presenting a risk to pregnant or lactating women. Symptoms of gyromitin poisoning include diarrhea, severe headaches, nausea, and vomiting. At high levels, gyromitin can cause severe liver damage, requiring a liver transplant to prevent death. Even the steam from boiling false morels is toxic.
Real morels have a lattice-like surface on their caps, with pits and ridges. In contrast, false morels feature a wavy, lobed surface resembling the wrinkled cerebral cortex of the human brain. The caps of false morels are not fully attached to the stem, unlike real morels. When cut from cap to stem, real morels are entirely hollow, while false morels are filled with white meat.
5. Wrinkled Peach Mushroom
The cap of the wrinkled peach mushroom takes on different shapes and colors depending on how much light it gets during its early stages of growth. Also known as the netted rhodotus or the rosy veincap, this mushroom can resemble a human heart, a stomach, or even a spongy lung.
The cap’s surface is gelatinous with white ridges or veins and deep, reticulated grooves, resembling an internal organ’s vascular system. Beneath the surface, the flesh is firm. Much like the bleeding tooth fungus, the high moisture in the wrinkled peach’s roots forces red or orange sap through its pores, a phenomenon known as guttation.
The Rhodotus palmatus thrives near decaying hardwoods such as elms across regions including Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Italy, Germany, Poland, and North America. The wrinkled peach is a monotypic species, meaning it is the sole member of the Rhodotus genus. It has a bitter taste and is considered inedible.
4. Snapdragon Seed Pod
Antirrhinum majus is a flowering plant with dragon-like jaws that snap when squeezed. Originating as a wildflower in Spain and Italy, the snapdragon carries several legends. One suggests that hiding the flower on your person or in a room makes you appear fascinating to others. Another legend claims that a house with snapdragons in its garden is protected from curses and witchcraft.
Legends claim that any woman who consumes Antirrhinum majus will be blessed with lifelong beauty and grace. However, this is highly dangerous, as every part of the snapdragon is toxic. To the Victorians, snapdragons symbolized deceit, possibly due to the stark contrast between their alluring flowers and their macabre seed pod.
As late summer arrives, the petals of the snapdragon blooms fade and fall, exposing the green seed pods beneath. Over the course of the next month, the pods dry out and turn brown, eventually bursting open to release their seeds. Often, the seeds spill through three holes at the base of the pod, giving it a skull-like appearance.
3. Devil’s Fingers Mushroom
Clathrus archeri, commonly known as devil’s fingers or the octopus stinkhorn, is a disturbingly eerie mushroom. When fully matured, it sports four to eight bright red tentacle-like fingers with black spheres resembling the suction cups on an octopus’s limbs. These black spheres, known as gleba, emit a foul odor reminiscent of decaying meat, which attracts flies that help spread its spores. The unpleasant smell is the origin of the 'stinkhorn' part of its name.
Like all stinkhorns, devil’s fingers begin their life in a white, egg-like bulb partially buried in the ground. Upon emerging from the bulb, the fingers are initially white and resemble a corpse’s hand and sleeve rising from the grave. Over time, the fingers stand upright, reaching heights of up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) and spreading up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) wide. While not toxic, its scent renders it inedible.
2. Purple Jellydisc Fungus
When the jelly-like Ascocoryne sarcoides begins to grow on a decaying deciduous log, it initially forms spherical lobes. Over time, it flattens out into a saucer-like shape. As the fungi cluster together, they press against each other, creating a rope-like formation that resembles a tiny person having dropped their small intestines onto the wood. This bizarre image becomes even more vivid when the moist, fleshy surface of the fungi is drenched by dew or rain.
In its early stages, the purple jellydisc reproduces asexually by producing cloned conidia spores. Later, as it forms a mass that can reach up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) in length, it releases both asci (reproductive cells) and spores, allowing for sexual reproduction. This fungus prefers broadleaf trees—especially beech trees—in regions such as Britain, Ireland, continental Europe, and Australia.
Despite its jelly-like texture (also known as “purple jelly drops”), the purple jellydisc has no distinct smell or taste, and it is deemed inedible.
1. Wood Ear
Known as both the tree ear and jelly ear, Auricularia auricula is a fungus with a rubbery, ear-shaped body that is reddish-brown and jelly-like in texture. Its surface is covered in very fine hairs and irregular veins. Typically found growing in clusters on decaying or living trees, this fungus resembles the cup fungus but differs in that Auricularia auricula is more rubbery and not brittle.
The wood ear has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood clotting. Popular in Japan and China, it may play a role in the countries' low rates of heart disease.
In China, the wood ear is referred to as “meat without bone,” and its medicinal and culinary uses date back over 4,000 years. A 100-gram ( oz) serving of dried wood ear provides 11 grams (0.4 oz) of protein, 65 grams (2.3 oz) of carbohydrates, minimal fat, and a rich supply of iron and calcium. It is commonly used in Chinese medicine to treat conditions ranging from hemorrhoids to lung infections.
