2 October 2024
13 creepy plants and fungi for Halloween
Dare to venture outside this Halloween, and you might find some of these weird plants and strange fungi lurking in nature.
.jpg.webp?itok=tIikWND7 "Octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri) © Wikimedia Commons/JeanRoulin")
As the nights draw in and temperatures begin to fall, it can only mean one thing: Halloween is right around the corner.
Lots of us associate carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples with the spooky season, but the natural world has many creepy mushrooms and scary flowers that are sure to send a chill down your spine.
For more spooky fun in nature, join us for Halloween at Kew, our brand-new night-time trail brought to you by the producers of Christmas at Kew.
1. Octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri)
With large red tentacles oozing sticky black slime, the reproductive structure of the octopus stinkhorn is like a Halloween movie monster come to life.
This weird fungus also known as devil’s fingers, hatches from an egg-like structure that grows amongst leaf litter and wood-chip mulch. It’s native to Australia and New Zealand but was introduced to Britain and is now frequently found in the south of England. You can even spot it in the Log Walk at Kew Gardens in autumn.
Alongside its terrifying appearance, the octopus stinkhorn reeks of rotting flesh. This smell is thought to lure in insects that feed on rotten flesh, to help the fungus spread its spores.
2. Zombie fungus (Ophiocordyceps)
A deadly parasitic fungus that grows rapidly inside its victims’ bodies, feeding on their insides and taking over their minds is the stuff of nightmares.
Unluckily for a variety of insects and spiders (but luckily not humans), this is exactly what Ophiocordyceps do.
Once infected, the ‘zombie’ insects are driven to climb up a plant and hang on. From there, the insect dies, and the fungus sends out long spikes that pierce through the corpse to release spores that infect more unfortunate insects.
These insidious fungi species were the inspiration for the fungus from the hit video game and TV series The Last of Us.
3. Devil’s tooth fungus (Hydnellum peckii)
In deep, dark and dense forests in North America and Europe, you might stumble upon a cluster of large bleeding teeth in the undergrowth.
These aren’t the remains of a monster but the reproductive structures of the Devil’s tooth fungus. Despite appearances, this creepy fungus won’t bite. In fact, it plays a key role in the ecosystem of the forest it calls home.
Beneath the ground, the fungus forms a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots of conifer trees. The trees provide the fungus with sugars produced by photosynthesis, while the fungus helps the tree absorb nutrients from the soil.
4. Doll’s eyes (Actaea pachypoda)
Have you ever felt like something is watching you as you wander through a forest?
It could be the white baneberry that is native to eastern North America. The berries, which eerily resemble eyeballs on red fleshy stems, are incredibly toxic to humans and cause heart attacks and death if eaten.
Luckily for the plant, many bird species are immune to these toxic effects, allowing them to feed and spread the seeds far and wide.
5. Dead man’s fingers (Xylaria polymorpha)
Anyone would be horrified by cold, dead fingers reaching through the soil. Luckily, it’s only dead man’s fingers, a common fungus found all over the world.
This fungus is a saprotroph, meaning it breaks down and feeds on dead organic material. You’ll often find dead man’s fingers growing from rotten tree stumps, helping to return nutrients into the soil as they eat!
6. Ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora)
A truly spooky species, the ghost plant can be found thriving in the darkness of the forest understory throughout the United States and Canada.
The ghost plant’s shocking white colouration comes from its complete lack of chlorophyll, the pigment most plants use to photosynthesis for their food. Instead, the ghost plant is a parasite, stealing nutrients from fungi growing within the roots of trees.
Walk amongst ghouls and other spooky spectres at Halloween at Kew, our brand-new night-time trail.
7. Tropical pitcher plants (Nepenthes)
There are many carnivorous plants that trap and digest their prey, but only one group is hungry enough to feed on whole mice: the tropical pitcher plants, also known as Nepenthes.
Unsuspecting insects and small rodents are attracted by sweet-smelling nectar, then plummet into the pitcher and are unable to escape.
They drown in a puddle of digestive liquid and broken down to be absorbed by the pitcher plant.
You can see pitcher plants for yourself at the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew.
8. Filoboletus manipularis
The bioluminescent Filoboletus manipularis fungus glows an eerie pale green at night in forests in Australasia, Malaysia and the Pacific Islands.
In Japanese folklore, it’s believed that this glow is the work of ghosts known as yokai.
While scientists understand how the mushrooms give off a spooky lightshow, they don’t know how they benefit from it or why some mushrooms glow more brightly than others.
9. Strangler fig
Given the Spanish nickname ‘matapalo’ (tree-killer), strangler figs are tropical and subtropical plant species which ‘strangle’ their host tree.
The aerial roots of strangler figs constrict the trunk and roots of the host tree, cutting off its nutrient and water supply, eventually resulting in death.
10. Purple jellydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides)
Despite its friendly sounding name, the fungal clusters of Ascocoryne sarcoides look like intestines splattered against trunks and branches of dead trees. Purple jellydisc is found across North America and Europe and a very common spot in British woodland.
Like dead man’s fingers, it’s a saprotrophic fungi that breaks down and digests the dead wood it’s found upon.
11. Black bat flower (Tacca chantrieri)
In the damp and dark under-story of tropical rainforests, you might mistake this black flower for bat wings with whisker-like tendrils.
Also known as the devil flower, this creepy plant species is actually a cousin of the yam and frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine.
12. Snapdragon seed pod (Antirrhinum majus)
The common snapdragon is a popular garden plant, as well as a staple in floral bouquets. While it gets its common name from the petals snapping closed when squeezed, that’s not why it makes our list.
Once the flower dies, it leaves behind a seed pod that resembles a terrifying grinning skull. Perhaps it’s why the ancient Greeks believed they offered protection from illness, curses and witchcraft when planted in their gardens.
13. Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)
Another unique fungus in the body part horror show is the jelly ear fungus.
Found worldwide growing upon wood in damp, shady locations, jelly ears are often picked for Chinese cuisine and medicine.
While you can find these auricular oddities at any time of year, you’ll see them most frequently during the autumn, especially on elder trees.
