Smooth Cage Fungus

Ileodictyon gracile

Initially a whitish "egg" up to 3 cm across, attached to white cords; rupturing, with the mature fruiting body emerging as a more or less round, cage-like structure, 4-20 cm across, forming 10-30 polygons; arms smooth, somewhat flattened, about 5 mm in diameter but thickened at the intersections, white underneath the olive brown spore slime (formed on the inner surfaces of the arms); the egg tissue creating a whitish volva, but the mature structure detaching from it.