Spooky ‘Witches Cauldron’ Mushrooms Discovered in Forest in New Brunswick

Spooky ‘Witches Cauldron’ Mushrooms Discovered in Forest in New Brunswick
This image has been color corrected and a blur border has been added. Staffan Kyrk/CC BY 3.0
Jenni Julander
Updated:

A “spooky” species of mushroom has been spotted in the forest in New Brunswick. And judging from its appearance, it looks like someone’s Halloween decorations got misplaced in the woods.

Sarcosoma globosum, or “witches cauldron” is a threatened species of mushroom from Europe, and this latest find is only the second time it was discovered in the area.

The aptly named mushroom actually resembles a witch’s cauldron, with its matte, darkish, rounded bowl and an opening at the top with a lip, filled with some kind of glistening goo-like substance.

(<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bombmurkla.jpg">Staffan Kyrk</a>/CC BY 3.0)
Staffan Kyrk/CC BY 3.0
(Mindaugas Gaspa/Shutterstock)
Mindaugas Gaspa/Shutterstock

After traveling to New Brunswick for a sample, Alfred Justo, mushroom expert and mycologist of the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, confirmed that the find was, indeed, witches cauldron.

“It’s always exciting to find a species that are not common,” he told CBC. “Especially in this case, a species like this one, they have a very particular look.”
The New Brunswick Museum shared pictures of the mushrooms on Facebook, stating that they hope the discovery will increase scientific knowledge of the strange and mysterious fungus.
(Mindaugas Gaspa/Shutterstock)
Mindaugas Gaspa/Shutterstock

“This collection will further our knowledge about the biology of this potentially rare species,” the museum wrote on May 20. “Big thanks to the McIntosh family & Aaron Dowding at Nature Trust of New Brunswick for alerting us to the presence of this species, and allowing us to make a collection.”

According to Justo, the find brings hope to a species scientists fear is vanishing from the world.

“There’s been some concerns that the populations of these mushrooms have been declining for some years,” he said. “In general, we know so little about the distribution of the species and how common it is that any new find will allow us to learn a little bit more.”

(Alexandra Kovaleva/Shutterstock)
Alexandra Kovaleva/Shutterstock
(ressormat/Shutterstock)
ressormat/Shutterstock
The discovery comes only a few months after a trove of witches cauldron was uncovered in Latvia, where the species was previously thought to be extinct.

“Witches cauldron is commonly found with spruce forests and is commonly found near rivers and streams,” Justo explained. “In this particular case there was no river or stream nearby, but there was a lot of spruce in the area.”

The mushroom also reportedly likes warm winters, and is most often found in early spring, when the snow first melts.

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Jenni Julander
Jenni Julander
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Jenni Julander is a writer based in the Rocky Mountains, where she received her writing education. She covers human interest and trending news for The Epoch Times.
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