Dune stinkhorn or Dog stinkhorn
Dune stinkhorn and Dog stinkhorn are similar species: Dune stinkhorn is edible, while Dog stinkhorn is inedible. The main visible difference: size: Dune stinkhorn — small (up to 5 cm), Dog stinkhorn — medium (5–15 cm).
Not sure? Identify by photoSide by side
| Characteristic | Dune stinkhorn | Dog stinkhorn |
|---|---|---|
| Edibility class | Dune stinkhorn: Edible | Dog stinkhorn: Inedible |
| Season | Dune stinkhorn: Spring, Summer, Autumn | Dog stinkhorn: Summer, Autumn |
| Use | Dune stinkhorn: Cook fresh | Dog stinkhorn: Not eaten |
| Size | Dune stinkhorn: Small (up to 5 cm) | Dog stinkhorn: Medium (5–15 cm) |
| Colour | Dune stinkhorn: White, Olive, Brown | Dog stinkhorn: Orange, White, Pale yellow |
| Taste | Dune stinkhorn: Mild | Dog stinkhorn: — |
| Smell | Dune stinkhorn: Putrid, Unpleasant | Dog stinkhorn: Unpleasant |
| Substrate | Dune stinkhorn: Soil | Dog stinkhorn: Soil, Leaf litter, Dead wood |
| Growth habit | Dune stinkhorn: Solitary, In groups | Dog stinkhorn: In groups |
Same in both: flesh colour change, nutrition type.
When and where they meet
Together: June–October
What they look like
Cap, Hymenophore, Stem, Flesh, Smell
Cap
Dune stinkhorn
At the egg stage it's a white-cream sphere 4-6 cm across with a thick, slimy skin. When mature, it has a bell-shaped cap 4-5 cm across, covered in slimy olive-brown gleba (the spore layer). The gleba has a honeycomb structure and feels sticky.
Dog stinkhorn
There's no separate cap. The top of the stem is pointed, orange-red and finely bumpy, and only the tip is covered in sticky, shiny dark olive slime that carries the spores. Once flies have eaten it, the tip shows bright orange.
Hymenophore
Dune stinkhorn
The spore-bearing layer is the slimy olive-brown gleba on the cap. The spores are spread not by wind but by flies drawn to the sharp smell, the typical dispersal method in the stinkhorn family.
Dog stinkhorn
There are no gills or pores: the spores are carried in the olive slime at the tip. There's no ordinary spore print; the spores are pale yellow in mass.
Stem
Dune stinkhorn
The stem is 10-20 cm tall and 2-4 cm thick, cylindrical, white or cream, and hollow. Its surface is finely honeycombed and brittle. In a young "egg" the stem hasn't formed yet; it stretches out rapidly within 2-4 hours of the skin bursting.
Dog stinkhorn
The stem is 6 to 15 cm tall and about 1 cm thick, cylindrical, hollow, spongy and pitted like expanded polystyrene, white, pale yellow or pale orange, often curved and fragile.
At the base the remains of the egg form a white sac (volva) with white mycelial cords. The young fungus looks like a white or yellowish egg 2 to 3 cm across, half buried in leaf litter.
Flesh
Dune stinkhorn
At the egg stage the flesh is white and firm, with a gelatinous greenish layer under the skin. When mature, it's spongy, brittle and white. It doesn't change colour when cut.
Dog stinkhorn
The stem walls are spongy like polystyrene, whitish to pale orange. Inside the egg, a layer of clear jelly lies under the skin.
Smell
Dune stinkhorn
In the egg the smell is faint, barely noticeable. The mature mushroom gives off a strong, unpleasant yeasty, carrion-like smell that attracts flies. The flesh of the egg tastes mild, a bit like radish.
Dog stinkhorn
The smell is unpleasant and carrion-like, but much weaker than the common stinkhorn's.
Related comparisons
Sources · 18
- [1]Index Fungorum
- [2]Species Fungorum
- [3]GBIF
- [4]Wikipedia (English)
- [5]Вікіпедія (українська)
- [6]Википедия (русская)
- [7]Червона книга України: Мутин собачий Mutinus caninus
- [8]First Nature: Mutinus caninus, Dog Stinkhorn
- [9]First Nature: Phallus impudicus, Stinkhorn
- [10]Wild Food UK: Dog Stinkhorn
- [11]Kuo M., MushroomExpert: Stinkhorns
- [12]Kuo M., MushroomExpert: Mutinus ravenelii
- [13]Wikipedia (de): Gemeine Hundsrute
- [14]Wikigrib: Мутинус собачий
- [15]GBIF: знахідки Mutinus caninus в Україні
- [16]Атлас грибів України, Зеров Д.К. (1979)
- [17]MycoBank Database
- [18]iNaturalist Ukraine