Phallus Impudicus

MONDAY

I bought a new tree cutting saw at lunchtime  and went into the garden to try it out on a few Leylandii stumps which are near the remains of an old sycamore tree.

I found myself nose to nose with an eight-inch Common Stinkhorn. Apparently it's a widespread fungus recognizable for its foul odor and its phallic shape when mature.

The fruiting structure is tall and white with a slimy, dark olive colored conical head which in this case had been nibbled.

The head or gleba contains the spores and is transported by insects which are attracted by the odour—described as resembling carrion


Despite its foul smell, it is not poisonous and in immature form is consumed in parts of France and Germany.