Photograph by Eric Zillmann

 

 

This is a small plant called Fungus Root (Balanophora fungosa).  It might look like a fungus, but it is actually a parasitic flowering plant which is found in rainforests of the Burnett Mary Region. The creamy-brown knob at the tip of the flower is a mass of tiny female flowers. These are surrounded, at the base, by a ring of white male flowers. Below these are a few scale-like leaves.  This specimen was photographed in littoral rainforest north of Bundaberg.  It seems to only flower after particularly wet seasons, and may not been seen for up to 15 years.

 

 

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