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Edibility
Inedible
Lookalike Danger
1 / 5
Habitat
🪵 Woodland, mulch
Season
Jun – Oct⏳ Soon
"Spongy white stalk topped with dark olive slime — flies disperse the spores. Smells of carrion at peak ripeness. The unhatched egg is pickled and eaten in parts of Europe."
🌳 Host Trees & Plants
This species is found with or partners with the following hosts. Ectomycorrhizal hosts (green border) form a root-level partnership; ericoid / arbutoid shrubs (purple border) share the same mycorrhizal networks.
Wood-Chip Mulch
Hardwood mulch
Saprobic substrate
Landscape hardwood chip mulch — wine cap, bird’s nest fungi, dog-vomit slime mold. A great backyard cultivation substrate.
A spongy white phallic stalk topped with a dark olive slime-coated cap. The slime is the spore mass — flies are attracted by the carrion-like smell and disperse the spores on their feet. The unhatched white "egg" stage is gelatinous and reportedly edible (pickled in parts of Europe).
Habitat
Mixed woodlands, garden mulch, and decaying wood throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. Fruits June through October, often after heavy rains.
Look for this on the ground
Lawn and wood-chip edge
Manicured lawn meeting fresh hardwood mulch — suburban edge habitat.
Season Windows by Region
Region
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Clear Creek Canyon / Mayhem Gulch
5,500–8,500 ft
Jones Pass Road
8,000–11,000 ft
Gordon Gulch / Nederland
7,000–9,000 ft
Kenosha Pass
8,000–10,500 ft
Guanella Pass Corridor
9,000–12,000 ft
Vasquez Creek / Winter Park
8,500–11,000 ft
San Juan NF — Pagosa Corridor
7,500–11,000 ft
San Juan NF — Silverton/Durango
8,000–12,000 ft
Vail / Eagle County
8,000–11,000 ft
Pike NF South / Tarryall
7,500–10,500 ft
Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains
6,500–9,500 ft
Leadville / Arkansas Headwaters
9,000–12,000 ft
Poudre Canyon / Roosevelt NF
6,500–10,000 ft
Rampart Range / Palmer Divide
7,000–9,500 ft
Boise Mountains
ID · 4,000–9,500 ft
Wasatch Mountains
UT · 5,500–11,500 ft
Sangre de Cristo / Carson NF
NM · 7,000–13,100 ft
Jemez / Santa Fe NF
NM · 6,500–11,200 ft
Santa Fe / Pecos Wilderness
NM · 7,000–12,600 ft
Gila NF / Black Range
NM · 5,500–10,800 ft
Coconino / Flagstaff
AZ · 6,500–10,000 ft
Central IL Prairies
IL · 450–850 ft
NW IL Driftless
IL · 600–1,200 ft
Central IN
IN · 650–1,050 ft
NE Indiana
IN · 750–1,100 ft
Hocking Hills
OH · 650–1,150 ft
Wayne NF
OH · 600–1,400 ft
SW Michigan
MI · 580–1,000 ft
Central MI
MI · 700–1,400 ft
WI Driftless Area
WI · 650–1,700 ft
Central WI
WI · 750–1,400 ft
Eastern IA River Valleys
IA · 550–1,100 ft
Southern IA
IA · 700–1,300 ft
SE MN Driftless
MN · 650–1,350 ft
Central MN
MN · 900–1,500 ft
Eastern Kansas River Valleys
KS · 750–1,200 ft
NE Kansas Woodlands
KS · 800–1,300 ft
Black Hills NF
SD · 3,200–7,242 ft
Ozark Plateau (NE OK)
OK · 700–1,800 ft
Wichita Mountains
OK · 1,200–2,479 ft
Hill Country
TX · 1,000–2,500 ft
Ozark NF
AR · 700–2,700 ft
Western MD / Catoctin
MD · 700–3,360 ft
White Clay Creek
DE · 100–350 ft
NW NJ / High Point
NJ · 400–1,803 ft
Flint Hills
KS · 1,000–1,600 ft
Loess Hills
IA · 1,000–1,500 ft
NE Iowa Driftless / Effigy Mounds
IA · 650–1,250 ft
Oak Openings / NW Ohio
OH · 620–720 ft
NJ Pine Barrens
NJ · 0–200 ft
Eastern NE / Missouri Bluffs
NE · 900–1,350 ft
SE South Dakota / Newton Hills
SD · 1,300–1,550 ft
Sheyenne NG Oak Savanna
ND · 1,000–1,350 ft
Minnesota River Valley
MN · 800–1,150 ft
Osage Hills / Cross Timbers
OK · 700–1,250 ft
Smoky Hills / Wilson Lake
KS · 1,500–1,950 ft
Badlands NP / Sage Creek Wilderness
SD · 2,400–3,340 ft
Angeles NF / San Gabriel Mountains
CA · 1,500–10,064 ft
Los Padres NF / Big Sur
CA · 0–8,831 ft
Sandia Mountains / Cibola NF
NM · 5,000–10,678 ft
Colville NF / Selkirks
WA · 1,800–7,309 ft
Black River SF / Driftless WI North
WI · 700–1,400 ft
Growing Requirements
Min Soil Temp
55°F
Moisture Need
rain 0.5in 7d
Drought Tolerance
moderate
Elevation Range
0–13,100 ft
Look-Alikes
Phallus ravenelii
Eastern North American counterpart. Cap edge is smoother; the smell is milder.
Other Phallus, Mutinus species
Multiple stinkhorn species. Form is distinctive enough that confusion with non-stinkhorns is essentially impossible.
Identification Tips
- ✓Smell is unmistakable at peak — carrion or rotting meat
- ✓Egg stage looks like a half-buried golf ball
- ✓Flies on the cap are diagnostic — they are the dispersal mechanism
Field Notes
Woodland, mulch
Found Common Stinkhorn?
Photograph it and log your observation on iNaturalist. The community can help confirm your ID — always get confirmation before eating.
Safety: Never eat any wild mushroom without 100% certain identification from multiple sources. This page is for informational purposes only. When in doubt, throw it out.