What's this plant?: SOLVED: At first I thought it was rabbit poo . . . .

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lmr400 Madison, CT July 2, 2008 8:57 PM	(Please click on the enlargement - it's very small) I've never seen a plant (fungus?) like this before - it's growing in a shady area on top of mulch in the open. Each sphere is about 1/4 inch across. And what are those little round things on the inside when they open up? Thanks for your help! View Larger
Farmerdill Augusta, GA (Zone 8a) July 2, 2008 9:05 PM	Birds nest fungus. Not sure which one one. Cyathus striatus or Cyathus olla.
plantladylin East Central, FL (Zone 9a) July 2, 2008 9:07 PM	Very cool! I've had something that looks identical to that growing in one of my container plants ... never knew what fungus it was. More photo's I found of Cyathus: [HYPERLINK@images.google.com]
lmr400 Madison, CT July 2, 2008 9:25 PM	I Googled bird's nest fungus, and it's fascinating. Thank you Farmerdill! Leah
Metrosideros Keaau, HI July 2, 2008 11:25 PM	Because of the color and the mulch that it grows on, it may be Cyathus pallidus.
Resin Northumberland (United Kingdom) (Zone 9a) July 3, 2008 3:54 AM	The 'eggs' are spore clusters. Resin
tcs1366 Itasca, IL (Zone 5a) July 3, 2008 9:53 AM	Uggg - i have a 'spore' cluster problem .... it's slightly different, but a total nuisance. I've got artillery fungus. funky looking stuff, aint it?
plantaholic186 Winnetka, IL July 3, 2008 6:37 PM	I know almost nothing about fungi; is it a bad thing to have Cyathus, or is it a benign presence?
tcs1366 Itasca, IL (Zone 5a) July 3, 2008 6:45 PM	i honestly dont know much about them either... but i have Sphaerobolus stellatus and it "shoots" a tar like substance that is difficult to get off.
Metrosideros Keaau, HI July 3, 2008 6:51 PM	Bird's nest fungi will not harm living plants. They grow on various types of organic matter, such as: rotting sticks, herbaceous debris, mulch piles, manure, humus, and dung.
plantaholic186 Winnetka, IL July 3, 2008 8:37 PM	Phew! Mahalo Metrosideros. And I certainly hope to not fall prey to Sphaerobolus stellatus- sounds gross!
Metrosideros Keaau, HI July 3, 2008 9:12 PM	Although the bird's nest fungi are gross sounding, they are edible. A fun fact about Sphaerobolus is they make a "pop" when they eject the spore-ball, that flies up to 14 ft. high, and 17 ft. away; more than 1000 times the size of the fungus. This would be the same as a human throwing a baseball over a mile.
plantaholic186 Winnetka, IL July 4, 2008 10:52 PM	And here I though that popping noise was from my weary knees! ; )
tcs1366 Itasca, IL (Zone 5a) July 4, 2008 11:21 PM	OH Man -- could you imagine if you could actually hear that stuff popping?! yikes.

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