PERSPECTIVE Flowers and Fungi Use Scents to Mimic Each Other

Some flowering plants mimic the scent and appearance of mushroom fruiting bodies. Fungi may also mimic flowers. In addition, infection of plants by certain fungi can direct the plant to develop nonfunctional floral-like structures that nonetheless primarily serve the reproductive advantage of the fungus. These various mimicries may serve to attract insects that in turn spread fungal spores or plant pollen, thus facilitating sexual reproduction of the cryptic organism. T he ultimate purpose of the scent of a flower, in conjunction with its shape and coloring, is to attract the respective pollinators to ensure the preservation of the species. Some of these scents are delightful, as for night-scented moth flowers. Others are putrid, as for flowers that mimic carrion or dung to attract certain fly species that deposit their eggs in the flowers, thereby acting a