How to identify Dog Stinkhorn

To correctly identify Dog Stinkhorn (Mutinus caninus), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The 'cap' is technically the gleba, a conical, sporulating mass at the apex of the receptacle. It is initially olive-green to dark green, slimy, and covered in a foul-smelling, spore-containing mucus. As spores are dispersed by insects, the gleba may become paler, revealing the white, porous surface of the receptacle beneath. It is typically 1-3 cm tall.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Mutinus caninus, like all Gasteromycetes, does not have gills. Spores are produced in the gleba, which is a slimy, odoriferous mass.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   The stem, or receptacle, is cylindrical, hollow, and tapers slightly towards the apex. It is typically white to pinkish-orange, often more intensely colored towards the base. The surface is porous and somewhat spongy. It measures 8-15 cm in height and 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The 'flesh' of the receptacle is thin, hollow, and porous, with a spongy and somewhat brittle texture. The 'egg' stage has a firmer, gelatinous interior.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body emerges from a subterranean 'egg' (volva) that is whitish to pale brown and gelatinous when cut. As it matures, a cylindrical, hollow, porous stem (receptacle) emerges from the egg, topped with a conical, olive-green gleba.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Saprobic, growing singly or in small groups on rotting wood, woody debris, well-rotted sawdust, woodchip paths, or sometimes directly on soil rich in organic matter. Often found in deciduous and mixed woodlands, hedgerows, and gardens.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Slimy, olive-green to dark green gleba on a porose white to pinkish-orange receptacle

Growth Form

Emergent from a subterranean 'egg', developing into an erect cylindrical body

Spore Print

Olive-brown (spores embedded in the slimy gleba)

Body color

White to pale brown (egg); white to pinkish-orange (receptacle); olive-green to dark green (gleba)

Odor

Strongly fetid (carrion-like) from the gleba; slight radish-like or faint when in 'egg' stage

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise, but the gleba is easily smudged

Height

Egg: 2-4 cm in diameter; Mature stem: 8-15 cm tall, 0.5-1.5 cm diameter

Cap Diameter

1-3 cm (gleba)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: No gills present
• Stem shape: Cylindrical, tapering slightly towards the apex
• Stem surface: Porous, spongy, white to pinkish-orange
• Ring: No true ring; the remnants of the volva (egg sac) may form a cup-like structure at the base of the stem
• Stem cross-section: Hollow

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