While we at shroomer love all fungi in all their forms, sometimes people don’t want certain mushrooms to appear in their yards, especially when said mushrooms bring a smell that can only be described as something dead and rotten. So what is this mushroom, and how can you get rid of them or prevent them from showing up?
Are they dangerous?
The first thing many people want to know when considering any mushrooms that may appear in their yard is: are they toxic?
The good news is that stinkhorn mushrooms tend not to be toxic or poisonous. They are mostly harmless to humans, with no fatalities ever reported and only some gastric distress reported when stinkhorns have been ingested. This is the same with dogs, although the stench does tend to keep them away.
Another thing to take into account is to ensure that your identification is correct, as stinkhorns can easily be confused for Amanita mushrooms during the egg phase. Many Amanita mushrooms are poisonous and sometimes deadly, and the best way to tell the two apart is to cut them open to see the inside.
If you’re unsure which mushroom the egg stage belongs to, it is always worth getting a proper identification from a mycologist.
What are stinkhorn mushrooms?
All stinkhorn mushrooms have a unique appearance, but most of all, they have a distinctive smell that most people find nauseating. People have described it as smelling like rotting flesh, carrion, or dung. The smell is also usually off-putting to animals, like dogs, and can generally ruin an otherwise lovely stroll.
The source of the smell is called gleba, and it occurs when the mushroom is ready to reproduce. The smell attracts flies and other insect pollinators to land on the mushrooms, pick up their spores, and spread them to new locations.
When it’s fully grown, a mature stinkhorn can range from just a few centimeters to over twenty-five centimeters, depending on the species. And talking about variety, they come in a variety of colors, from pure white to bright orange or deep black.
Some species are only slimy caps, whereas others have more pronounced stems. No matter their difference in appearance, the thing that ties them all together is the same distinctive smell.
What are some of the different species?
As previously mentioned, stinkhorns vary in size, color, and shape; some can be extremely striking. Often they don’t look at all related, and if it wasn’t for the smell, it would be hard to imagine they are all so closely linked.
The common stinkhorn
The common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) isn’t as colorful as its relatives, but its smell still packs a punch. Its tall, spongey white stalk attaches to a slimy, yellow to olive-brown tip. When mature, the common stinkhorn can grow between 4 to 8 inches
The elegant stinkhorn
The elegant stinkhorn (Mutinus elegans) grows as a long, tapered column that is pinkish-orange in color. The top part has the greenish-brown gleba, which is responsible for the smell, and a white cup around the base. Sometimes, a small opening at the tip is visible.
The fruiting body—the part of the fungus commonly known as the mushroom and usually the only part that we can see—is around 4 to 7 inches wide and ½ to 1 inch wide
The dog stinkhorn
The dog stinkhorn (Mutinus caninus) is usually completely buried until the stipe emerges. It usually only lasts three to four days, rapidly decaying as soon as it loses its gleba. It is very similar to the elegant stinkhorn, and the two can often be mistaken for each other. However, the dog stinkhorn is smaller, ranging from 3 to 6 inches tall and ⅓ to ½ inches wide.
The octopus stinkhorn
Perhaps one of the most striking stinkhorns, the octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri) looks like just that—an octopus emerging from the ground. A bright red coloration makes it easy to spot amongst the leaf litter. There are usually at least 3 to 4 tentacles that can be fused at the tips when they first emerge. The tentacles tend to be around three inches long.
The starfish stinkhorn
Similar to the octopus stinkhorn in appearance and color, the starfish stinkhorn (Aseroe rubra) has all of their tentacles fused into one column in the middle. There are also usually between six and ten tentacles, which are only around 1 ½ inches in length.
The basket stinkhorn
Also known as the red-cage fungus, the basket stinkhorn (Clathrus ruber) looks like a red or orange sphere with lattices, like a woven basket. They can reach up to eight inches tall, with the gleba staying inside of the structure as it grows and expands.
Why are they growing in my garden?
Stinkhorn fungi are usually associated with, and found around, rotting wood. This is why they like appearing in yards, where people like to use wood-based mulches to help their garden beds grow.
But think hard before you get rid of the mushrooms! Stinkhorn mushrooms contribute to the recycling of plant debris into nutrients that can improve the growth of your garden plants. If you can put up with the smell for a few days, then they can massively help your flower beds and any other plants you may be growing.
How to remove stinkhorns from your garden
Unfortunately, there is no proven way to get rid of stinkhorn mushrooms in the short term, although some swear by alcoholic mouthwashes or coffee grounds to change the pH of the soil. The mushrooms will only last for a few days, so it might be worth waiting them out. Digging them out isn’t necessarily the most effective, as they often have large networks of mycelium under the soil, which means they just come back. Keep an eye out for the eggs, smooth white balls that will pop up before the mushrooms do—they tend to appear in the same place each year if you remember where the mushrooms came from—and dig them up before they can sprout.
If you’re looking for a long-term solution, then getting rid of them can be as easy as switching out your mulch from a wood-based mulch to one like a pine needle mulch. You want to look for a dry mulch in order to take away the source of food for stinkhorns to grow. This may not be an overnight solution; mycelium can live underground for years, but it is the first step in stopping the fruiting bodies from sprouting. Other methods can be removing any rotting wood from your garden, such as old tree stumps
