''Mutinus elegans'', commonly known as the elegant stinkhorn,
the dog stinkhorn, the headless stinkhorn, or the devil's dipstick, is a species of
fungus
A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...
in the
Phallaceae
Phallaceae is a family of fungi, commonly known as stinkhorns, within the order Phallales. Stinkhorns have a worldwide distribution, but are especially prevalent in tropical regions. They are known for their foul-smelling, sticky spore masses, ...
(stinkhorn) family. A
saprobic
Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
species, it is typically found growing on the ground singly or in small groups on woody debris or leaf litter, during summer and autumn in Japan, Europe, and eastern North America. The
fruit body begins its development in an "egg" form, resembling somewhat a
puffball
Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores when mature. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including '' Calvatia'', '' ...
partially submerged in the ground. As the fungus matures, a slender orange to pink colored stalk emerges that tapers evenly to a pointed tip. The stalk is covered with a foul-smelling slimy green
spore mass on the upper third of its length. Flies and other insects feed upon the slime which contains the
spores
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...
, assisting in their dispersal. Due to their repellent odor, mature specimens are not generally considered
edible, although there are reports of the immature "eggs" being consumed. In the laboratory, ''Mutinus elegans'' has been shown to inhibit the growth of several
microorganism
A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...
s that can be
pathogen
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...
ic to humans.
Taxonomy
''Mutinus elegans'' was first described by
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English ...
missionary
John Banister in 1679 who chronicled the natural history of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
; this early report is thought to be the first account of a fungus in North America.
It was first characterized scientifically by French scientist
Jean Pierre François Camille Montagne in 1856, who called it ''Corynites elegans''.
The
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
name ''Mutinus'' refers to the Roman phallic deity
Mutunus Tutunus, one of the ''
di indigetes
In classical Latin, the epithet ''Indiges'', singular in form, is applied to Sol ''(Sol Indiges)'' and to Jupiter of Lavinium, later identified with Aeneas. One theory holds that it means the "speaker within", and stems from before the recogniti ...
'' placated by Roman brides.
The species is
commonly known variously as the "elegant stinkhorn",
the "headless stinkhorn",
the "dog stinkhorn",
or the "devil's dipstick".
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''elegans'' is derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
word meaning "graceful" or "elegant".
Description

The young
fruiting bodies are initially white and spherical or egg-shaped, partially submerged in the ground, with dimensions of by . As the fruit body matures, the egg ruptures and the spongy spore-bearing stalk emerges; fully grown, it may be from long and thick.
The stalk is hollow and strongly wrinkled overall; its shape is cylindrical below, but it gradually tapers to a narrow apex with a small opening at the tip. The upper half of the stalk is bright red to reddish orange, and the color gradually loses intensity transforming into pinkish white below. The stalk may be straight, or slightly curved.
A gelatinous greenish-brown
gleba
Gleba (, from Latin ''glaeba, glēba'', "lump") is the fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of certain fungi such as the puffball or stinkhorn.
The gleba is a solid mass of spores, generated within an enclosed area within the sporocarp. The conti ...
covers the upper third of the stalk in newly emerged specimens.
The remains of the "egg" forms a
volva around the base of the stalk.
The odor of the
gleba
Gleba (, from Latin ''glaeba, glēba'', "lump") is the fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of certain fungi such as the puffball or stinkhorn.
The gleba is a solid mass of spores, generated within an enclosed area within the sporocarp. The conti ...
is foul; one author describes it as "sickly sweet or metallic".
The
spores
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...
are a greenish-brown color.
Fruit bodies are attached to the
substrate
Substrate may refer to:
Physical layers
*Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached
** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...
by whitish
rhizomorph
Mycelial cords are linear aggregations of parallel-oriented hyphae. The mature cords are composed of wide, empty vessel hyphae surrounded by narrower sheathing hyphae. Cords may look similar to plant roots, and also frequently have similar functi ...
s that resemble plant roots.
American mycologist
Smith
Smith may refer to:
People
* Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals
* Smith (given name)
* Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland
** List of people w ...
noted that the eggs are often slow to open, sometimes taking up to two weeks before the stalk expands.
The
spores
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...
are 4–7 by 2–3
µm, oblong-elliptical, smooth, and embedded in the gleba.
A 1982 study revealed that spores of species in the family
Phallaceae
Phallaceae is a family of fungi, commonly known as stinkhorns, within the order Phallales. Stinkhorns have a worldwide distribution, but are especially prevalent in tropical regions. They are known for their foul-smelling, sticky spore masses, ...
, including ''Mutinus elegans'', have a
hilar scar (0.2–0.3 µm diameter) that is observable with
scanning electron microscopy. The
hilar scar is a circular indentation at one end of the spore, and it most likely results during the separation of the attachment of the spore to the
sterigma
In biology, a sterigma (pl. sterigmata) is a small supporting structure.
It commonly refers to an extension of the basidium (the spore-bearing cells) consisting of a basal filamentous part and a slender projection which carries a spore at the t ...
of the
basidium
A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is hig ...
.
Edibility

The immature egg-forms of ''Mutinus elegans'' are edible,
but "not recommended".
One field guides notes that the eggs of the stinkhorn fungi "taste like the seasonings that are added to them."
The fetid odor of mature specimens would probably be repellent to most, although they are not considered poisonous.
Similar species

The "dog stinkhorn" (''
Mutinus caninus
''Mutinus caninus'', commonly known as the dog stinkhorn, is a small thin, phallus-shaped woodland fungus, with a dark tip. It is often found growing in small groups on wood debris, or in leaf litter, during summer and autumn in Europe, Asia, ...
'') is smaller, has a distinct oval or spindle-shaped tip on a slender stem and lacks the bright coloring of ''M. elegans''; it has less of the stalk covered by gleba.
The portion of the stalk below the spore mass is pitted in ''M. caninus'', compared to "pebbly" in ''M. elegans''.
''M. caninus'' is also less common than ''M. elegans''.
''Mutinus bambusinus'' is similar in size and shape, except it does not have a distinct color demarcation between the upper and lower parts of the stalk; instead, the entire stem shows red pigments. The stalk of ''
M. ravenelii'' is less tapered than ''M. elegans'', and it has a clearly differentiated swollen head.
Habitat and distribution
''Mutinus elegans'' is
saprobic
Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
—deriving nutrients by breaking down dead or dying organic matter. It is commonly found in gardens and farm areas enriched with manure,
near well-decayed stumps and logs, and in wood chips.
A Japanese publication mentioned its occurrence in
Takatsuki
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is located in northern Osaka's Hokusetsu region.
As of 2020, the city had an estimated population of 347,944 and a population density of 3,300 persons per km². The total area is 105.31 km².
The ...
and
Osaka-fu
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...
, where it fruited in November and December on the ground along paths or in open spaces, under or near
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
(''Phyllostachys bambusoides'') and
hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes fro ...
s such as the
Sawtooth Oak, the ''
Japanese Zelkova
''Zelkova serrata'' (Japanese zelkova, Japanese elm or keyaki or keaki; ja, 欅 (ケヤキ) keyaki /槻 (ツキ) tsuki; ; ko, 느티나무 neutinamu) is a species of the genus ''Zelkova'' native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan.Flora ...
'', and the ''
Camphor tree
''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree that is commonly known under the names camphor tree, camphorwood or camphor laurel.
Description
''Camphora officinarum'' is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern ...
''.
This common species has been collected in eastern North America,
in the area extending from
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
and west to the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five la ...
,
Iowa,
Colorado, and Texas.
In Europe, it has been reported from Netherlands
and in Asia, it has been collected in Japan.
Antibiotic activity
A study of 32
basidiomycete
Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...
mushrooms showed that ''Mutinus elegans'' was the only species to show
antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy, ...
(both
antibacterial
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...
and
antifungal
An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cry ...
) activity against all six microorganisms tested, namely, the human pathogenic bacteris ''
Bacillus cereus
''Bacillus cereus'' is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in soil, food, and marine sponges. The specific name, ''cereus'', meaning "waxy" in Latin, refers to the appearance of colonies grown on blood agar. Some strains are ...
'', ''
Bacillus subtilis
''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus '' Baci ...
'', ''
Staphylococcus aureus
''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posit ...
'', ''
Escherichia coli
''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Esc ...
'', ''
Salmonella typhimurium
''Salmonella enterica'' subsp. ''enterica'' is a subspecies of ''Salmonella enterica'', the rod-shaped, flagellated, aerobic, Gram-negative bacterium. Many of the pathogenic serovars of the ''S. enterica'' species are in this subspecies, includ ...
'' and the yeast ''
Candida albicans
''Candida albicans'' is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora. It can also survive outside the human body. It is detected in the gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40–60% of healthy adults. It is usua ...
''.
References
External links
*
Time lapse video of growing fruit bodyCornell University, Department of Plant Pathology Photo Lab
Image of sporesMissouri Mycological Society
''Caromyxa elegans'' at mycobank.org
{{Taxonbar, from=Q918611
Phallales
Fungi described in 1856
Fungi of Asia
Fungi of Europe
Fungi of North America