Treepusher wrote:
Can't say with absolute certainty, but Martian does grow one similar to this, called Hemitrichia serpula, the pretzel slime mold. They're most commonly found on the second moon of Rigel IV, in Orion, but one of his specimens (don't ask how he got it) was blown up in one of his early plutonium experiments and spores went everywhere, and as Earth's climate was agreeable to them, they're now seen in many places here at home.