page_title: Phallus rubicundus
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Phallus rubicundus / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Bisected "egg" of the stinkhorn fungus Phallus rubicundus (Bosc) Fr. Photographed in Central Park, New York, New York, USA.
context_page_description: Phallus rubicundus is a species of fungus in the stinkhorn family. First described in 1811, it has a wide distribution in tropical regions. It has the typical stinkhorn structure consisting of a spongy stalk up to 15 cm tall arising from a gelatinous "egg" up to 3 cm in diameter. Atop the stalk is a pitted, conical cap that has a foul-smelling, gelatinous, green spore mass spread over it.
context_section_description: Immature (unopened) specimens of Phallus rubicundus are spherical to egg-shaped, whitish, and measure 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) long by 1–3 cm (0.4–1.2 in) wide. They occur singly or in groups of two to six eggs that are formed from a common mycelium. They are attached to the substrate by a cordlike rhizomorph. After expanding, the fruit bodies are up to 15 cm (5.9 in) tall, and consist of a hollow cylindrical stalk supporting a conical to bell-shaped cap. The orange to scarlet stalk tapers towards to top, and has a pitted surface. The wrinled cap is scarlet red, and measures 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) high by 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) wide. It is initially covered with a foetid, slimy grayish-olive gleba. The egg case remains at the base of the stalk as a volva. The spores are smooth, elliptical, and measure 3.6–4.2 by 1.6–2.0 μm.
  Phallus rubicundus is often confused with the similar Mutinus elegans, but the latter species does not have a clearly separated cap, and instead bears its gleba on the apex of its pointed stalk.
caption: Bisected "egg" form
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