What is this rainbow colored plant or fungus?

October 13, 2016 4:14 PM

The object in the linked picture was recently found on a gravel road in Northern Georgia (the US state). The picture is a cross section of something, either plant or fungi, which smelled mushroomy and has a light brown exterior. About 2 inches in diameter. I have deja-vu, I feel like I've seen or even asked this question before. I'm hoping someone who still has a good memory can tell me what it is.
posted by ...tm... to Science & Nature (5 answers total)

Can you dissect it further? Looks like a decomposing fruit to me. Like an Osage orange or a pomegranate. It's not either of those, but that's general category I think.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:31 PM on October 13, 2016

it looks a bit like the cross section of a truffle mushroom to me
posted by cda at 4:34 PM on October 13, 2016

... and a clue for me was gravel road because truffles like gravel roads.

not saying you should taste it
posted by cda at 5:26 PM on October 13, 2016 [1 favorite]

A google image search identified it as an "artifact". Giving it a little extra encouragement with the words "cross section" and "fungus" led to this result, which looks close: Horse dung fungus (Bohemian truffle).
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 5:42 PM on October 13, 2016 [2 favorites]

Thanks all! My attempts at reverse image search kept leading to rock.

Looks like it is Pisolithus tinctorius, a truffle like fungus that likes to fruit above ground.
posted by ...tm... at 12:05 AM on October 14, 2016