Family Phallaceae.
Division Basidiomycota > Class Agaricomycetes > Order Phallales > Family Phallaceae.
The stinkhorns, with internally produced spores (gasteroid fungi) are characterised by:
i.) The fruiting body arises from a gelatinous round or ovoid egg 1 cm in diameter.
Traces of the egg may or may not remain on the mature fruiting body.
ii.) They all produce spores in a sticky, foul smelling slime or gleba on the fruiting body.
The smell attracts insects such as flies that eat the gleba.
They get some on their feet and carry it, with the spores to another fruiting body.
They live on dead or decaying organic matter.
The stem my unbranched (Phallus genus), star-shaped (Aseroë) or lattice-like (Colus and Clathrys).
The often brightly coloured stems may have a veil over the spore bearing area.
J.F.
