Slimy ‘penis mushroom’ with revolting ‘rotten flesh’ scent filmed ‘growing to 10 inches’ in unsettling clip
Viewers were shocked and disgusted as a slimy “penis fungus” that smells like rotating “rotten flesh” grew 25 centimeters in size in a disturbing new video.
The stinkhorn mushroom – Phallus impudicus – typically grows near rotting wood and plants and can grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) above the ground, according to scientists.
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The stem has a bell-shaped cap covered in brown mucus known as gleba, which gives the mushroom its vile stench.
“The smell of stinkhorns has been described as similar to that of decaying flesh, rotting feces and sewage,” the University of Florida said.
However, it is still possible to eat stinkhorns.
“The taste of Phallus impudicus“The stinkhorn, known as the common stinkhorn, reportedly resembles hazelnuts when consumed in its egg state,” the university said.
Stinkhorns consist of a small, egg-shaped base that contains clumps of mucus and spores that become the smelly cap of the fungus.
Scientists were able to capture video of the stinkhorn bursting from its base and growing to its full size in just three hours.
“What you see in our video is the short lifespan of the stinkhorn fruiting body,” says a translated Facebook post from the Soest-Sauerland Regional Forestry Office, the state forestry office for the Soest-Sauerland region in eastern Germany.
“It took three weeks to shoot this video. Nothing happened for the first two weeks, we had to wait and constantly check the camera until we finally got this footage.”
As soon as the mushroom’s gleba formed, it was swarmed by flies, attracted by its disgusting smell.
The files ate the slime for 10 hours, stripping off the brown shell of the stinkhorn.
After a few days, only the remaining white body, the so-called, was left, which soon began to rot.
The video shows how the fruiting body decomposes before disappearing back into the ground.
Stinkhorns live a short life, but it is enough to complete their reproductive cycle.
The sticky cap is filled with sports that pick up flies as they feed to disperse to new locations via their excrement, the University of Florida said.
Most mushroom-forming fungi spread their spores by releasing them into the wind, but the stinkhorn is different, which likely explains its overwhelming smell.
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