About fungus root
Balanophora fungosa, sometimes known as fungus root, is a flowering plant in the family Balanophoraceae and occurs in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and some Pacific islands. It is a parasite growing on the roots of rainforest trees. The flowering structure is shaped like a puffball but in fact consists of a globe covered with thousands of tiny female flowers. The globe is surrounded at its base by a much smaller number of male flowers. In flower, the plant emits an odour resembling that of mice.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Balanophora fungosa subsp. indica
- Genus
- Balanophora
- Family
- BALANOPHORACEAE
- Habit
- Parasite
- Habitat
- Root parasite
- Distribution
- India, China, Hainan, Malaya, Sumatra, Pacific Islands, Australia
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-March
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Balanophoraceae
Balanophora Family
fungus root belongs to the Balanophoraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the BALANOPHORACEAE family →Snap it. Know it.
Point your camera at fungus root or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.