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Common Stinkhorn
The common stinkhorn, a saprotrophic fungus that develops inside a soft whitish 'egg' and then expands rapidly into a white, hollow stem topped by a pitted head coated in dark olive-brown spore slime (gleba). The carrion-like odor attracts flies and other insects, which disperse the spores.
Edible only at the egg stage, and not widely valued: collect eggs only while the inner contents are still white; the inner layer has a crisp, radish-like taste. Mature fruit bodies are not eaten because of the odor. Caution: eggs can resemble puffballs, earthballs or the egg stage of Amanita species, some of which are deadly. A stinkhorn egg shows a small fruit body surrounded by slimy jelly; an Amanita egg has no slime layer.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
