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Ravenel's stinkhorn
Known commonly as stinkhorns, these fungi are notable not only for their shape but also smell - for having spores that are dispersed by flies rather than by wind. The mushroom recruits flies by mixing its spores in a layer of slime that smells very strongly of rotting animal flesh.
Seen in leaf litter in damp woodland.
15 cm length
"Phallus ravenelii", commonly known as Ravenel's stinkhorn, is a fungus found in eastern North America. Its mushrooms commonly grow in large clusters and are noted for their foul odor and phallic shape when mature. It is saprobic, and as such it is encountered in a wide variety of habitats rich in wood debris, from forests to mulched gardens or sawdust piles in urban areas.
Similar species: Phallales
By Ruth Spigelman
Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
Uploaded Oct 6, 2021. Captured Nov 8, 2014 10:47 in Cedar Creek Park, Belle Vernon, PA 15012, USA.
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