Appearance
It is commonly known as the stinky squid, because of its fetid odor, and its three or four upright "arms" which are connected at the top. The malodorous smell comes from the dark greenish slimy gleba covering the inside faces of the arms, and attracts insects that help to disperse the spores.Immature fruiting bodies resemble egg- or pear-shaped puffballs, grayish-brown to pale gray in color, with dimensions of 0.5 to 2.5 cm diameter; the top surface is broken into small regions by cracks or crevices. As the fungus matures, the fruiting body cracks open and forms a stalk with tapering arms, a volva, and a spore mass known as a gleba. The mature fruiting body is typically 3 to 6 cm in height, with arms that are 2–5 times the length of the stipe. The stipe itself does not extend past the volva, and is hollow, thin-walled, chambered, wrinkled, and flares towards the upper end. The color of the stipe is white or grayish-white; it is 1 to 3.5 cm in height, and 0.5 to 2.5 cm thick at the widest diameter. The three or four arms extending from the stipe average 3.6 cm in length, and wrinkled on the side bearing the gleba. The arms, which are joined at the top, are shaped like a lance, pointed towards the apex; they are orange-colored. The internal structure of the arms is made of chambers; one large chamber towards the outside, and typically three smaller chambers on the inside of the arm. The gleba is commonly found on the upper two-thirds of the inside surface of the arms, and is dark green and slimy. The fetid odor of the gleba, described by one author as comparable to "fresh pig manure", attracts insects that help to disperse the spores.
The spores are elliptical or ovoid, smooth, translucent, with dimensions of 4.5–5.5 by 2–2.5 µm. The basidia, the spore-bearing cells, are attached to 6–8 sessile spores.
Naming
The stinkhorn species "Clathrus columnatus" somewhat resembles "P. fusiformis" in that it has 3 or 4 arms that extend upwards and join at the top. However, unlike "C. columnatus", the arms of "P. fusiformis" share a common stem, and the immature egg-form is gray or grayish brown, rather than white.
Distribution
This species grows scattered or in groups on disturbed soil in coniferous or mixed forests. It is also found growing on wood chips used as mulch in gardens or for landscaping; Blanton has also reported it growing in a garden "solitary and very large"."Pseudocolus fusiformis" has been collected from a variety of locations worldwide, including Australia, Japan, Java, the Philippines, Reunion Island, the United States, and Turkey. In the continental United States, it was first collected in Pittsburgh in 1915; since then it has been found in Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Tennessee; it has also been found in Hawaii. It is thought to have been introduced to North America from southeast Asia.
Habitat
This species grows scattered or in groups on disturbed soil in coniferous or mixed forests. It is also found growing on wood chips used as mulch in gardens or for landscaping; Blanton has also reported it growing in a garden "solitary and very large"."Pseudocolus fusiformis" has been collected from a variety of locations worldwide, including Australia, Japan, Java, the Philippines, Reunion Island, the United States, and Turkey. In the continental United States, it was first collected in Pittsburgh in 1915; since then it has been found in Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Tennessee; it has also been found in Hawaii. It is thought to have been introduced to North America from southeast Asia.
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