Stinkhorn

Phallus impudicus, known as the common stinkhorn, is a widespread species of fungus in the stinkhorn family, Phallaceae, recognisable for its foul odor and phallic shape when mature, features that inspired various names for it in seventeenth century England. It grows in Europe and North America in wood-rich habitats such as forests and mulched gardens, fruiting from summer through late autumn, with a tall white stalk topped by a slimy, dark olive conical cap whose spore-bearing gleba relies on insects drawn by its carrion-like smell for dispersal. Despite the smell it is not generally toxic, and immature specimens are eaten in parts of the Czech Republic, France and Germany.