Major Groups > Stinkhorns > Lysurus corallocephalus

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Lysurus corallocephalus

[ Basidiomycota > Phallales > Lysuraceae > Lysurus . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Also known as Kalchbrennera corallocephala, this African stinkhorn is pretty unmistakeable. It features a whitish to pinkish stem that terminates in a gnarly set of stubby red branches that are covered with, and appear to emerge from, an oozing dark brown mass of spore slime. Overall, Lysurus corallocephallus has the appearance of a twisted, aborted form of Aseroë rubra.

I have not collected Lysurus corallocephalus, nor has anyone sent me material to study. But I would love to study it! If you have found this amazing stinkhorn and would like to help out, please let me know at .

Thanks to Charlotte Whitaker, Robin Mountford, and Sharon van Zyl for sending photos of Lysurus corallocephalus, and for permission to reproduce the images here.

Description:

Note: Since I have not collected or studied collections of this mushroom, the description is based on the sources cited below and the photos sent to me.

Ecology: Probably saprobic; growing alone or gregariously in a variety of habitats (Dring [1980] lists the following for specimens examined: "on soil in maize field," "under Pithecolobium," "Old Calabar botanic garden," "in Acacia xanthophaea woodland," "Bamboo forest c. 7000 ft," "edge of cultivated field and natural woodland," and "in grass"); subSaharan Africa; found year-round.

Fruiting Body: At first a pale "egg" up to 4 cm across; emerging to form a stem and a head. Stem up to 12 cm high; more or less cylindric; hollow; whitish to yellowish, pink, or reddish; spongy; arising from a whitish to pinkish volva. Head scarlet, with protruding branches arranged around polygonal meshes; the branches simple or forked; up to 3 mm wide and 2 cm long; accordion-like when fresh; covered with olive-brown spore slime.

Microscopic Features: Spores 3.5–4.5 x 1.5–2 µm; more or less ellipsoid.


REFERENCES: Welwitsch & Currey, 1868. (Saccardo, 1888; Lloyd, 1909; Dring, 1964; Dring, 1980; Coetzee, 2010.) I have not collected or studied collections of this mushroom.


This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.


 

Lysurus corallocephalus

Lysurus corallocephalus

Lysurus corallocephalus



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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2019, April). Lysurus corallocephalus. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lysurus_corallocephalus.html