Aseröe rubra

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by Michael Kuo

This awesome stinkhorn appears in tropical and subtropical areas. In the United States it is common in Hawaii and occasional in South Carolina, where it has apparently been introduced. It features a central column that is topped by an array of short, doubled tentacles. The central portion of the crown is initially covered with a foul-smelling brown slime that attracts flies and other insects, who then disperse the mushroom's spores.

Description:

Ecology: Saprobic on plant litter and woody debris; growing alone or gregariously; found in woods or, more commonly, in cultivated areas and compost (in gardens, along paths, and so on); appearing year-round; common in Hawaii, and widely distributed in tropical areas, including Central America; occasional in South Carolina.

Immature Fruiting Body: Like a pinkish to purplish or brownish "egg" up to about 3 cm high; attached to numerous rhizomorphs; when sliced revealing the stinkhorn-to-be encased in a gelatinous substance.

Mature Fruiting Body: Up to about 8 cm high; stem round in outline, with a horizontally furrowed surface, white to pink, red, or orange; apex flattened, covered with a brown to olive brown, foul smelling slime; with 5-22 doubled, white to pink, red, or orange tentacles arranged symmetrically around the margin of the apex and measuring up to about 4 cm long.

Microscopic Features: Spores 3-5.5 x 1.5-2 µ; cylindrical; smooth; inamyloid.

REFERENCES: LaBillardiere, 1800. (Fries, 1823; Saccardo, 1888; Dring, 1980; Calonge et al., 2005.) I have not collected this mushroom.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2010, May). Aseröe rubra. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/aseroe_rubra.html