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Fake fungal flowers fool insects - 8th March 2021

In South America, Fungi have been discovered which make fake flowers. The flowers resemble the real thing and even have a similar smell.

The fungus grows on Xyris, a yellow flowering grass in Guyana. It prevents the plant from flowering and then takes over the plant's reproductive system to create its own blooms.

These fungal flowers are almost identical to the Xyris's flowers. They have fake petals which attract insect pollinators such as bees. The false flowers even use a smell to make themselves more attractive.

The flowers fool bees and other insects into thinking they are real. The bees land on the flowers and expect to find nectar. Instead, they become coated with fungal spores, which they end up transporting to other Xyris plants.

This way of reproducing is not uncommon for fungi. One type of fungi can develop on the leaves of blueberries. The leaves then give off a smell and produce sugar to attract insects. The insects carry off fungal spores which allows the fungus to reach other areas.

So while this method of fungal reproduction is not unique, it is by far the most complex method that's been discovered so far.