Despite the many negative statements about the 2023 hurricane season, at least it provided ample rain. Even this late in the year the moisture supports growth, but in late autumn the development usually takes place unseen below ground.
That is not the case with native fungi species. The local mushrooms and toadstools appear overnight in all sorts of locations, including well-manicured lawns.
The expectation is a single trunk with a domed cap, usually white in color and a few inches tall. Occasionally, there is a surprise appearance which will briefly mystify the onlooker.
The elegant stinkhorn, botanically known as the Mutinus elegans, is a striking orange finger shooting up from the ground. It appears as a carrot which grew in the wrong direction.
The appearance of inverted carrots or demonic grasping fingers from the underworld depends on the observer’s perspective. This odorous mushroom is making an appearance locally thanks to ample moisture.
Imaginative observers have given this fungus other common names. These include the headless stinkhorn, the devil’s dipstick and demon fingers.
The short lived above ground structure usually extends to two to six inches long at maturity. This area is known as the fruiting body and produces spores which are the basis for the next generation’s appearance.
The single hollow column or finger projects upward above the soil or mulch. Coloration of the fruiting body can range from pink to orange.
The upper surfaces of the column are covered with green stinkhorn slime and spores. It also produces a stench especially noticeable to humans who venture too close.
This foul odor is useful though, attracting an assortment of flies and other insects which track through it. A small amount of the sticky slime and spores attaches to the insect’s body.
It is then carried by these discriminating visitors to other bug enticing spots, usually of equal or greater offensiveness to people. Spores are deposited when the slime mixture is rubbed off as the insects brush against surfaces.
Decaying woody debris is a favorable environment for the column stinkhorn and other species in this genus to germinate. As the wood rots, bacterial activity makes necessary nutrients available to this mushroom.
Other areas satisfactory for development include lawns, gardens, flower beds and disturbed soils. All contain bits and pieces of decomposing wood and bark.
Occasionally, elegant stinkhorns can be seen growing directly out of stumps and living trees. Its presence on a living tree is a good indication the tree has serious health issues and may soon be in the fatal grip of the fungus.
This species starts out as a partially covered growth called a volva. This part, above and below the soil’s surface, has the general appearance of a white hen’s egg.
The term volva is applied in the technical study of mushrooms and is used to describe a cup-like structure at the base of the fungus. It is one of the precise visible features used to identify specific species.
The recent wet weather in panhandle Florida, combined with local sandy soils and available nutrients, creates ideal growing conditions. While rarely noticed during the initial stages of growth, they are quickly spotted at or near maturity.
There are other stinkhorn mushrooms in north Florida, especially the column stinkhorn. In addition to North America, members of this fungi family with a fetid aroma can be found in Europe, Asia, South America and Australia.
Medical researchers have indicated this species may have antibiotic properties. Self-administration is not recommended, not that anyone could handle the smell.
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