Phallaceae Colus Coral Craypot stinkhorn fungus
Also known as Red Basket or Cage Fungi. The Phallaceae, or stinkhorns, are a family of basidiomycetes which produce a foul-scented, phallus-shaped mushroom. Stinkhorns produce a sticky spore mass on their tip which has an odor of carrion, dung, or other things that attract flies. The flies land on the stinkhorn and in doing so collect the spore mass on their legs and carry it to other locations. Stinkhorns develop from round structures called 'eggs', which do not stink. The fused arms that form a stem-like structure define the genus Colus, but species within the genus "are not clear cut," according to stinkhorn expert D. M. Dring (1980).
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Photo credit: © Doug Steley A / Alamy / Afripics
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