Common stinkhorn
Phallus impudicus
mushroom
⚠️ Toxic look-alike
Never eat this mushroom unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.
A death cap egg, the deadliest of the amanitas, looks exactly like it until it is cut. Cut in half from top to bottom, a stinkhorn egg shows a translucent jelly around an olive-green zone and a white core; a death cap egg already shows the outline of a mushroom: cap, gills and stem. The death cap shows its first signs only 6 to 24 hours after the meal, then destroys the liver. Have every egg checked by a pharmacist or a mycologist.
If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
The “egg” stage of the common stinkhorn, picked before it hatches: the crunchy core is eaten raw and tastes of radish.
- Origin
- Forests of Europe and North America
- Where to find it
- In rich woodland and gardens, its “eggs” are found half-buried in the humus; in Germany and Czechia, they are still eaten.
- Season (United States)
- July to October
- Preparation
- The egg is peeled of its skin and jelly, and only the white core is kept, sliced. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.
- Molecules
- Mushroom beta-glucansIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine
- Did you know?
- When mature, it smells of carrion to attract flies, which spread its spores.