Clathrus crispus
🏷️ Description
If there’s one mushroom that turns heads (and noses), it’s Clathrus crispus also know as Wiffle Ball Stinkhorn! This bizarre, lattice-structured stinkhorn isn’t just a fungal oddity—it’s a spectacle. Found in warm, humid regions from Florida to South America, this stinkhorn’s vibrant red, spongy structure and putrid stench make it a fascinating (if slightly repulsive) member of the fungal kingdom.
First described in 1820 by French botanist Pierre Jean François Turpin, Clathrus crispus was initially documented in Haiti. Since then, this stinkhorn has been spotted across the Americas, thriving in gardens, mulch-covered soils, and shaded patches of organic decay. It even earned a place on a 1986 Grenadian postage stamp!
In Mexico’s Yucatán region, local Maya traditions connect Clathrus crispus with supernatural entities known as uaychivos—people who transform into animals at night to cause mischief. According to legend, when a uaychivo defecates, its poop produces an “egg” that rises from the ground and turns into a stinking, unnatural fungus. It’s easy to see why folklore associates this mushroom with the eerie and uncanny!
🔎 Identification
Key Morphological Features
Lattice Structure: The fruit body has up to 50 radially grooved holes, more polyhedral to spherical near the top but more elongated toward the base.
Arms: Hollow, spongy, and about 1 cm (0.4 in) thick, these arms connect at the base to form an inverted cone-shaped structure. They are red, fading to pinkish or pinkish-orange with maturity.
Gleba (Spore Mass): Olive to greenish, slimy, and coats the inner rims of the lattice holes. It emits a foul odor, attracting insects that aid in spore dispersal.
Volva: Whitish, sac-like, encasing the base of the fruiting body.
Spore Slime: Brown, putrid, and located along the inner edges of the lattice arms.
Immature Fruiting Body
Appears as a whitish to faintly brownish “egg”, 3–5 cm (1.2–2 in) high.
When sliced open, it reveals a gelatinous brown layer surrounding the developing stinkhorn.
Mature Fruiting Body
5–12 cm (2–4.7 in) high, 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) wide.
The lattice-like mesh creates semi-regular openings, sometimes appearing column-like at the lower portion.
Often has a pseudo-stem-like base attached to white rhizomorphs.
Microscopic Features
Spores: Elliptical to cylindrical, slightly greenish, measuring 3.8–4.2 × 1.8–2.2 µm.
Sphaerocysts (branch tissue cells): 14–37 µm across, subglobose to irregular, with smooth walls 0.5–1 µm thick.
Volval Hyphae: 2–4 µm wide, smooth, thin-walled, and hyaline in KOH solution.
Ecology & Distribution
Habitat: Saprobic, growing alone or in groups on lawns, gardens, cultivated soil, and near woody debris.
Range: Found in Florida, the Gulf Coast, Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of South America.
Seasonality: Appears year-round, particularly in warm and humid environments.
♻️ Life Cycle
Like many stinkhorns, Clathrus crispus begins its life as a whitish “egg” hidden in the soil, measuring about 3–5 cm. As it matures, the outer shell (peridium) splits open, revealing the wild red lattice structure within. At this stage, the mushroom emits a powerful, rotting odor—an evolutionary trick to attract insects.
🤢 Why the Smell?
That awful stench isn’t just for show. The greenish-brown, slimy spore mass (gleba) coats the inner edges of the lattice. Attracted by the stink, flies and other insects land on the fungus, inadvertently picking up spores on their legs. As they fly away, they spread the spores far and wide, ensuring the stinkhorn’s reproductive success. Think of it as nature’s version of a spore-based hitchhiking service!
📜 Synonyms
Clathrus crispus var. obovatus Berk. (1842)
Clathrus americanus Lloyd (1909)
Clathrus pseudocrispus Lloyd (1909)
Clathrus crispus var. americanus (Lloyd) J.E.Wright (1949)
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Kyle Van Houtan (CC BY 4.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Eridan Xharahi (CC BY 4.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Sebastian Navarro (CC BY 4.0)
Photo 4 - Author: soflofungi (CC BY 4.0)
Color:Red
Shape: Stinkhorns
