The Basket Fungus

The scientific name for the basket fungus or basket stinkhorn is lleodictyon cibarium. It is a saprobic species of fungus from the family Phallaceae and found throughout New Zealand and Australia.

The name refers to the fungus’s distinctive shape, which resembles a round or oval basket with interlaced or latticed branches. It is not poisonous but the mature fruit body (pictured below) can have a foul odor and be covered in a slime layer.

The immature fruiting bodies, often described as “egg shaped” are considered edible.

Just one of the many varieties of fungi found at the Sculpture Park