Hatching Eggs

Introduction

No this page is not on how to breed feathered things with wings i.e. Birds, But how to continue the development of stinkhorn fungi at home. In the early stages of their development these fungi resembles a birds egg in appearance, hence the reference to 'hatching eggs'.

Lleodictyon cibarius

What Are They ?

Stinkhorn is the common name for a group of fungi belonging to the Family Phallaceae. These are in my opinion, one of the more remarkable types of fungi, in both their method of spore dispersal, and their appearance.

Lleodictyon cibarius

Spore Dispersal

Insects such as flies, snails and slugs that are attracted by its smell achieve dispersal of the spore. The spore is contained within an olive green smelly slime, which lines the inside of the fungi depending on the species. This the insect will eat or pick up on their bodies and then distribute some distance away.

Anthurus sp.

Finding Them

The first trick is to find some. If you should happen to stumble upon a group of fruiting bodies then look carefully around in the vicinity for some unhatched eggs. These are either on the ground or partly buried. Dig these up very carefully. The one, second from the top I mistook for a puffball, as there were no fruiting bodies present. It was not until I opened it up that I realised my mistake.

Mutinus sp. (under cover)

Caring for eggs

Once you have your collection of eggs home, place them on a nest of damp paper or cotton wool. Or In the case of the Clathrus archeri (above) it had sufficient soil around it that this was not necessary. Then place a cover over it; this keeps the moisture in, and the smell under control. Leave it in a warm place, and within a few days to a week one or two eggs may hatch and develop into full-size fruiting bodies

Aseroe rubra

Smelly

Anthurus sp above was so smelly that even under coverI was unable to suppress the smell, so it was relegated to outdoors. I only need no to think of this fungus to be able to smell it :)

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