Fungi have been discovered that produce fake flowers that look and even smell like the real thing, fooling bees and other pollinating insects.
The fungus Fusarium xyrophilum infects the beautiful yellow-eyed grasses of Xyris from Guyana in South America. The fungus prevents the plant from making its flowers and then chops down the plant’s reproductive system to create its own forgeries that consist entirely of fungal tissue.
The false flowers are similar in size and shape with petal-like features that reflect ultraviolet light to attract pollinators, especially bees. The rogue flowers even use fragrances to make themselves even more attractive.
The deception is so convincing that the bees and other pollinators visit them, expecting to be rewarded with nectar and pollen, but rather covered with fungal spores that subconsciously transmit them to other Xyris plants and infect them.
This type of farce is not unique, but it is by far the most extensive fungal mimicry known. The leaves of blueberries can be infected by Monilinia fungi, which turn the leaves into bud flowers that reflect ultraviolet light, give off a fragrant scent and sugar to attract insects that normally pollinate the plants but carry away the fungal spores.