Unknown from the Pyrenees

[Richard Green]

A friend has sent me this picture taken at 400m in the Pyrenees growing in deciduous woodland.  I am assuming that it is a flower rather than fruit, or maybe even a fungus?  Any ideas?  And given that it looks so unusual any explanation would be very helpful to pass on to my friend.

[Hans J]

Hi Richard ,

yes it is a fungus
the name is Clathrus archeri

Hans

[Richard Green]

Thank you Hans for a quick reply.  I assume that it attracts flies for pollination?

Update:
It is known as the Octopus Stinkhorn, and attracts files for pollination.  It is native to Australia and Tasmania, and introduced to Europe and the USA.  It is appears to be uncommon.
See: http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Clathrus-archeri.htm

[Hans J]

Richard ,

I'm not a mycologist 
So far I know are fungi NO plants ....so they have not the same way like plants with pollination
They produce spores ....

To your update - yes they are native in AU and NZ ...the first of this fungi was seen in the Vosges Mts. /France
It is suppose that a visitor from AU or NZ had spores on his shoes

Hans

[Lesley Cox]

Which is why, coming the other way, i.e. TO NZ and Aus, people who have been on farms or who have visible organic material on their footwear, are asked to remove it - and give up any in their luggage - for steam cleaning, rather than risk new organisms entering the countries. I guess fungus spores would be pretty much invisible to the naked eye of a quarantine officer though, especially if it was just a little bit of material underneath or in the treads.

[Richard Green]

Thank you Hans, I was not using the word "pollination" correctly.  I used it when I was thinking of this object as a plant rather than a fungus.  Fungi are classed as a completely separate kingdom from plants and do not reproduce in the same way.