A candidate for the stinkiest fungus in the forest.
I thought I could smell something rancid while walking in the forest today. Only then did I realize I was standing atop stingking earthfans. Due to their dull color, they are almost blending with the ground, I could hardly see them.
They were emerging vertically like corals, flattened at the top like a fan, hence their name. The smell is comparable to garlicky rotting cabbage鈥攓uite unpleasant!, it gets worse as they dry out.
They were growing in groups nearby coniferous trees. Apparently, they have a beneficial relationship with tree rootlets, helping each other thrive, much like symbiosis in nature.
Their edibility is uncertain and surely would put people off with its repulsive scent. But despite their odour, they can be used for mushroom dyeing, which can give you lovely blackish-brown to grayish-green-brown colors, or just a light brown if you're not using any mordant. I'm pretty tempted to give it a go, but considering its off-putting scent, I may leave it.
No wonder they were all out; it has been raining, and they prefer moist ground. Yes, it was a muddy walk today, but I'm happy to have seen this intriguing mushroom along my way!
Have a Wonderful Fungi Friday!
Mariah 馃崉