by Mark Ziembicki
Veiled stinkhorn (Phallus cinnabarinus)
This gorgeous stinkhorn is easily separated from other veiled stinkhorns - such as Phallus indusiatus and Phallus multicolor - by its cinnabar red skirt. Like other stinkhorns, this fungus emerges from an egg-like sack, with a cap covered in a sticky, foul-smelling, spore-filled gleba, that will be eaten and carried far away by the flies that it attracts. You can see a few flies polishing off the last of the gleba here, which is mostly gone, revealing the red cap beneath.
As far as I know, the edibility of this variety is not known, but its close relative Phallus indusiatus, similar except for a pure white skirt, are considered choice edibles, while stinkhorn ‘eggs’ of all varieties are eaten, though they are not among the best culinary fungi.
