The Hysterangiales Order includes a wide variety of morphologies of primarily sequestrate, hypogeous, and ectomycorrhizal truffle-like fungi. Most are associated with particular trees. Out west they are being discovered in association with conifers. Elsewhere in the world they are associated with different tree species, including eucalytus which is native to Australia. Finding them entails roughing up and severing the connections of tree roots with mycorrhizal gasteroid fungi. We still do not have much information available on all the species of ‘false-truffles'that may be flourishing in the northeast. Most in our region of North America are commonly referred to as deer, mouse, or squirrel false truflles. They are not considered edible for humans.
Like some of the edible truffles in the ascomycota, a few truffle-like gasteroid basidiocarps also emit odors when their spores mature. Every complex odor is enticing to particular small animals, like moles or insects to discover, ingest, and disperse the next generation of spores in their feces or through phyisical contact with suitable substrates favorable for continuing the species.
The order includes five families thus far. The Phallogastraceae is the only family represented here. Its representatives are not mycorrhizal associates of trees. They are saprotrophs.
To see enlarged versions of each photo represented in this family, click on the first photo and then click on the textual links above each photo to get to the next one.