Part 58

Fruit-body: diameter 25-75 mm.

Description:

Fruit-body: rounded or flattened on top, sometimes lobed, very firm, yellow or clay colour, scaly, thick, white within or pinkish, if cut when immature, and then purplish black as the spores mature.

Stem: absent or reduced to a small group of mycelial cords.

Spore-mass: purplish black.

Spores: medium to large, dark brown, 8-13 µm in diameter and covered with a delicate network.

Habitat & Distribution: On the ground in woods or on heaths.

General Information: This fungus is found in many books under the name of S. aurantium. S. verrucosum Persoon is closely related, but has a stem-like rooting base and an umber brown spore-mass. The spores are also slightly different; they are 10-14 µm in diameter and ornamented with spines and ridges.

The earth-balls appear to have characters in common with the false truffles, indeed sometimes they grow partially buried in the sandy soil of woods. Like the false truffles they have been used to adulterate pâté as a cheap substitute for true truffles (see p. 244). It is not wise, however, to eat earth-balls as there are cases of poisoning known. Although truffle-like, they should be avoided except under the guidance of an expert, as with agarics.

Illustrations: Geastrum triplex--Hvass 307; LH 221; NB 155¹. Scleroderma citrinum--Hvass 320; LH 223; NB 155⁵; WD 111³.

Stinkhorns

~Phallus impudicus~ Persoon

Common stinkhorn

Fruit-body: Egg: 30-60 mm in diameter--then Cap: 25-40 mm and Stem: width 18-25 mm; length 100-150 mm.

Description:

Fruit-body: commencing as a white, silky egg-like structure full of jelly in which is embedded a conical cap attached only at its apex to a cylindrical white, spongy, hollow stem.

Cap: covered in a slimy mass of dark olive-coloured spores at maturity.

Stem: cylindrical, rapidly elongating, white, spongy and hollow.

Spore-mass: dark olive-green, smelling strongly, foetid.

Spores: small, pale olive, oblong and 3-5 × 2 µm in size.

Habitat & Distribution: Common from summer to autumn on the ground in woods and in gardens.

General Information: Easily recognised by its shape and evil smell which can be detected at some distance. The unburst eggs are called ‘witches eggs’. Under favourable conditions the egg bursts and the stem elongates carrying the cap and spore-mass with it. The spore-mass is attractive to flies and they feed upon it; spores stick to their feet and so are transported from one place to another.

The very similar P. hadriani Persoon is frequently found in sand-dunes; it differs in having a lilaceous colour to the egg. An interesting variety of the common stinkhorn is uncommonly found and differs in having a skirt-like frill beneath the cap. The jelly in the egg is a water-store and is used by the fungus to expand rapidly.

~Mutinus caninus~ (Persoon) Fries, the ‘Dogs stinkhorn’, is found around old stumps or on piles of leaves. It has the spore-mass covering an orange-red pear-shaped cap which is itself fused to the stem.

The stinkhorns and their allies appear to be commoner in warmer countries where they take on many bizarre shapes. Other than the three species noted above stinkhorns are rarely found in this country, but when they are it would appear they have been introduced with foreign imports such as timber, ornamental plants, vegetables etc.

Eggs of phalloids brought into the laboratory can be surrounded by wet tissues or blotting paper and then allowed to develop further in a dish or box. Provided the skin covering the spores is not broken or injured the fungus will not smell and therefore before it becomes unpleasant, the whole mechanism of expansion can be studied.

Illustrations: Hvass 323; LH 215; NB 153¹; WD 108¹.

Birds nest fungi