Dictyocephalos


Dictyocephalos is a genus of fungi in the family Phelloriniaceae of the order Agaricales. The genus is monotypic, and contains the single species Dictyocephalos attenuatus, commonly known as the stalked oddball, which was described by the American botanist Lucien [Marcus Underwood] in 1901.
Dictyocephalos attenuatus is a unique species of mushroom, as it has a gleba like a puffball, but it also has a stipe and a volva, like an Amanita. Starting as an underground "egg", the spore case develops up to across, round and slightly gelatinous at first then flattens and develops brownish scales. This is situated on the white-to-brownish enlarged end of the stem, which can grow up to long. It is inedible.