Linderia columnata
Common Name: Columned Stinkhorn
Description:Fruiting body: 6 to 10 cm tall, 2 to 3 cm wide with 4 to 5 hollow, bright red, spongy arms united at the top, which arise directly from the white volva, greba dark olive-green held inside the arch at the top (which you can almost see in the photo above.) Button: white, flaccid, oval with white attached cords or rhizomorphs. Odor: stong. Flavor: mild (though the arms in a greba sauce must be utterly disgusting)
Habitat and Distribution:Single to several on rich soil, mulch, in gardens, lawns and open woods. Found in SE and Southern US. Fruiting in summer, fall, and early winter during or after wet weather.
Our Christmas started with an unusual smell and we wondered from where it was emanating. Cymande remembered that this is the season of the stinkhorn. We eventually found a small crop growing in our flower bed. From there we progressed to a pancake breakfast prepared in our partially completed kitchen. Then a series of traditional Christmas activities ensued: mulching the sycamore leaves; washing the front porch; playing our newly acquired bass; giving the dogs baths; and enjoying the 80 degree day.
