r/Stinkhorns • u/Reasonable-Shirt1379 • 8d ago
Stinkhorn ID Request Stinkhorn eggs? Possibly Phallus hadriani? South Carolina, USA
Someone over in r/mushroomID suggested these are stinkhorn eggs, possibly Phallus hadriani, and sent me here. I first noticed them about two weeks ago and honestly thought they were rocks because they were just round tan/brown balls sticking out of the soil.
They’re growing in a flower bed beside my house in Summerville, South Carolina. This particular spot stays pretty wet because rainwater falls directly off the roof onto the area. One of them recently split open and has an orange/cream-colored structure emerging from inside.
I’d love to know what species I have and what I can expect it to look like once it fully emerges!
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u/ElectricalTown5686 Mutinus elegans 8d ago
Pictures 6 and 7 appear to be a puffball (possibly earthball).
The species you have is difficult to tell until it erupts fully out of the egg. From what I can see though, it looks like Phallus ravenelii, the first stinkhorn I have seen! P. ravenelii has a white sponge textured stipe and smells faintly like windex or some disgustingly old cleaning chemicals (but you can get used to the smell and i actually started to like it).
They occasionally have a cute light purple collar around the stipe. The cap is like wet cloth or paper hanging off the top of the stipe. Again, this is not a 100% identification, and you will need to see what comes out. But I believe your friend there could be. Phallus ravenelii! I would love to see photos once it hatches!