A strange and specialised fungus that grows only on living beech trees. A parasite that looks like a fruit. The beech strawberry is a parasite, causing cancerous galls on the branches of its host. The fungus stimulates the tree to produce abnormal growth, creating a woody lump that can persist for years. Inside the gall, the fungus's mycelium lives protected from the elements. A fungus that builds its own fortress. In spring, the fungus produces fruiting bodies that emerge from the galls like golden golfballs. These fruiting bodies are one to three centimetres across, bright yellow, and covered in small pits. They are edible and have a fruity, strawberry-like flavour, which is how they got their common name. The texture is soft and slightly chewy. A fungus that tastes like fruit. The life cycle of the beech strawberry is tightly linked to its host. The spores infect new beech trees through wounds in the bark, often where branches have broken. The fungus then waits, sometimes for years, before producing fruiting bodies. The timing is synchronised with the spring rains. In South America, related Cyttaria species are known as llao llao and are harvested as a delicacy. They are an important food source for indigenous communities in Patagonia. In New Zealand, the beech strawberry is less well known as a food source. To find beech strawberry, look for living beech trees in native forests. The beech forest is damp. The gall is woody and lumpy on the branch. The golden golfballs emerge in spring, bright yellow against the grey bark. They are edible. They taste like strawberry. The fungus does not know it is delicious. It just wants to spread its spores.