Devils Fingers

Clathrus Archeri

At last after years of searching i finally found this rare fungus.

Sometimes known as 'Devils Fingers' this native of Australia found its way into Europe some  years ago where it is still quite uncommon. More recently it has found its way into southern parts of the UK.
It seems to like pastures or grassland which is where i found it. Infact i found 8 friuting bodies in one small area. Some in better condition than others.

It has quite an unpleasant smell which has been refered to similar to rotting flesh. It is a member of the Stinkhorn family. Stinkhorns have a unique method of spore dispersal. The spores are contained in a fetid slime that coats part of the fruiting bodyand dispearsed by flies attracted to the odour of rotting flesh.

The Stinkhorn and Devils fingers start off as a gelatinous egg. On maturity the egg erupts and the fruiting body emerges with the slime or gleba adhering to varius parts of the fungus.

There are still a few other members of the stinkhorn family i would like to see and photograph so if anyone knows where they appear let me know.