Devil's-fingers

Known colloquially as "Devil’s Fingers" or the "Octopus Stinkhorn," this fungus looks like an alien life form emerging from the soil. Native to Australia and New Zealand, it has traveled across the globe, startling hikers and gardeners alike with its vibrant red tentacles and unsettling aroma. It belongs to the Phallaceae family, a group of fungi that use mimicry—specifically the scent of rotting meat—to survive.

🔍 How to Identify

• 🥚 The "Egg" Phase: Before it matures, the mushroom appears as a white, leathery, gelatinous egg partially buried in the ground, often mistaken for a puffball.
• 🐙 The Tentacles: Upon "hatching," 4 to 8 slender, bright red arms unfurl. These "fingers" are initially joined at the tip but soon spread out like a star or an octopus.
• 🍄 The Slime (Gleba): The inner surface of the red arms is coated in a dark, olive-green, foul-smelling slime which contains the mushroom's spores.

🌲 Habitat & Ecology

• 🍂 Woodland & Mulch: You will most likely find Clathrus archeri growing in damp leaf litter, decaying wood chips, or even in well-mulched garden beds.
• 🪰 The Fly Strategy: Unlike mushrooms that rely on the wind to carry spores, this fungus uses its "carrion" scent to attract flies. The insects land on the stinking slime, get spores stuck to their feet, and transport them to new locations.
• 🌍 An Invasive Traveler: It is believed to have been accidentally introduced to Europe during World War I via military supplies or wool shipments from the Southern Hemisphere.

⚠️ Safety & Toxicity

• 🚫 WARNING: While not officially classified as a deadly poisonous mushroom, it is considered strictly inedible.
• 🤢 Palatability: The overwhelming stench of rotting flesh is a natural deterrent. Even in its "egg" stage (when some stinkhorns are technically edible), it is said to have an extremely off-putting taste and a rubbery, mucus-like texture.
• 🐾 Pets & Kids: It is generally not a high-risk species because the smell prevents ingestion, but keep curious pets away to avoid them rolling in the pungent slime!

✨ Fun Fact

In some European folklore, the sudden appearance of these "fingers" poking out of the ground was once thought to be the hands of the dead reaching up from the underworld, giving the mushroom a spooky reputation long before its biology was understood.