#Octopus Stinkhorn

[gloomywolfmushroom]

Devil’s Fingers (Clathrus Archeri)

Devil's fingers, often referred to as octopus stinkhorn, is a rare fungus that was first discovered in Britain, 1914. It's found in decaying matter like mulch, in both woodlands and grasslands but is scarce all throughout the U.K.

This eerie red, tentacle like mushroom sprouts from an egg-shaped pod that is called a witches egg. The Devil's Fingers usually has 4-7 slender and spongy arms. Each arm can grow up to 10cm, and a sticky black substance filled with spores (gleba) coats the tendrils. When it reaches full maturity, it begins to smell of putrid rotting flesh, which attracts insects. The spores are then spread by the visiting insects wherever they land next.

[csolarstorm]

Xerneas and Yveltal are Fungi: Let Me Explain...

Source: Bulbapedia, Wikipedia, Bulbapedia, Enchanted Nature

Xerneas and Yveltal are my favorite legendary designs. There's something weirdly alien about these bio-luminescent approximations of fauna, like they're trying to look like animals and failing. I've always thought they looked a little bit...fungal.

Xerneas and Yveltal are like batteries. They're life energy brokers; Xerneas distributes life, while Yveltal drains it. Supporting and draining life is one of the main characteristics of fungi. In fact, it's like their whole thing.

Some fungi have a mutualistic relationship with their hosts, where they actually benefit their health. And in general, fungi are essential to supporting the ecosystem. Then there's fungi that are simply parasitic.

Fungi can also go dormant, as well as their spores. Staying still is their thing, just chilling in dark places. Xerneas and Yveltal's dormant forms are especially weird, showing just how anomalous these creatures are.

Now allow me to lichen fauna to fungi.

Sources: Bulbapedia, New Forest Pics, Wikipedia, Mushroom Diary Blog

This is xylaria hypoxylon, also known as Stag's Horn fungus. (Not to be confused with Yellow Staghorn.) It reminds me a lot of the dormant form of Xerneas, or the "deactivated" form it takes in the PC.

Stag's Horn is also bio-luminscent, which means the tips of the fungus faintly glow - much like the tips of Xerneas's antlers.

Speaking of the first legendary Fairy Pokemon, mushrooms are often associated with fairies. Fairy Rings are circles of mushrooms that are connected by mycelium underneath. (I'll get into mycelium in just a second.) There are too many myths about Fairy Rings to get into here, so for now I'll just point out the Fairy Ring around Valerie's Gym in Laverre City.

Sources: Bulbapedia, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Enchanted Nature, UK Wildlife

I'm not sure whether Bulbapedia or Dr. King on Pokemon Amino first likened Yveltal to Devil's Fingers, but the similarities are uncanny. Like Yveltal emerges from its cocoon, Devil's Fingers emerge from what is called their "egg stage". I tried to find the least unsettling picture of this that I could. Enjoy...?

I mean, what kind of bird turns into a cocoon, anyway? Honestly though, fungus isn't supposed to hatch from an egg either, so this is all mixed up.

Okay, so Xerneas and Yveltal are based on different aspects of Yggdrasil. But if you were going to design Pokemon based on Yggdrasil, the World Tree that connects the universe, wouldn't you base it on fungi rather than an actual tree? Mycelium can actually partner with the roots of plants and other fungus to create a widespread beneficial mycorrhizal network, a truly interconnected ecosystem of organisms.

Source: BBC News - How Trees Secretly Talk to Each Other

And that's why Xerneas and Yveltal are fungi. Or it could be part of their inspiration, at least. They're not necessarily inspired by these specific fungi, but I think the concept may be part of their design. Either way, Gen VI is especially fun to research!

Reviewed by @fluffybunnybadass.

Check out my posts about Pokemon Legends: Z-A:

Poll: What Does the Λ in Legends Z-A Symbolize?

Pokemon Legends Z-A: What Is the Λ?

Is Z-A Just Zygarde-A? (%1000 Zygarde and the Fragments of the Tree of Life)

Aaah, it's an A! Is the A in Z-A the Tree of Life?

How much longer am I going to have to wait for a freakin' Unova remake?!

[mushroom-showdown]

[thebashfulbotanist]

This Wednesday it's time for "weeds" of the fungal variety - that is, some mushrooms growing where they don't belong! These very bizarre mushrooms are Clathrus archeri, commonly known as devil's fingers or octopus stinkhorn. They're often redder in color than these, which were somewhat washed out by rain. Like all stinkhorns, they smell terrible, in this case like rotting flesh. They like growing on rotting wood and love woodchips and mulch.

But why is devil's fingers a "weed" in this case? Because although C. archeri is native to southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, these were found growing in London! It's though that they were introduced to England during or slightly before the First World War. Although their preference for dead wood might make them seem innocuous (and indeed there are far worse invasives) they still compete with native stinkhorns and other fungi that would probably prefer not to be fighting over woodchips!

The edibility of devil's fingers isn't known, but it's unlikely anyone would want to try them anyway. Their rotting flesh smell is enough to make anyone feel ill. They're definitely in the "do not eat" category!

[muddysocks]

[balthazarslostlibrary]

Devil's Fingers, Octopus Stinkhorn, Clathrus archeri (also, trypophobia cw)

Aotearoa, photo credit to me

This is Clathrus archeri, also known as the Octopus stinkhorn, or the Devil's Fingers. As with other stinkhorns, the spores are held within a sticky and foul-smelling substance called the gleba, which attracts flies, which then brings the spores elsewhere. This can be seen in the photos as the dark brown or black substance on the fingers.

Each fruiting body is about 8-15 cm long (hand for comparison in middle photo), and several may emerge bunched together, or separately. The fingers are very light and surprisingly fragile, and have the texture of wet styrofoam packaging pellets.

The fruiting body emerges from an egg-like growth, called the volva, the remnants of which can be seen at the base of the fingers. The last photo shows the immature fruiting body (or the primordium) soon to emerge from the volva. When mature, the fingers will swell with water from rain to many times their initial size and unfurl out of the ground.

[tentaclemadestudios]

[whiteleech]

Wanna show everyone this octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri). Found a lot of “eggs” in the woods, took one and watched it “hatching”.  Took only 4 hours from the egg to this. And it smells absolutely disgusting.

[gimmigezz]

...macheccàz?!?!

[jasperathrifteddoll]

SICK ASS SOGHTING OF FUNGUS

Devil's Fingers/Octopus Stinkhorn

Oh boy I was ecstatic when I saw it. My cousin could not understand my enthusiasm.

But oh my God. F u n g u s. There were a couple around, including a few that had been uprooted. Thus the holding photo. And don't worry, this little guy is harmless.

Surprisingly I, nor anyone else could smell any characteristic rotting meat scent.

I also saw this fungus, however my admittedly quick research could not identify it.

Looks like big chunks of orange peel.

This is it. I'm getting seriously into fungi now. No more passive knowledge. The mycelium is calling to me.

[mycoblogg]

HORROR WEEK- FOTD #149 - octopus stinkhorn! (clathrus archeri)

the octopus stinkhorn - or devil's fingers - is a stinkhorn fungus found across the world. it forms part of the phallaceae family, & can be found in areas with high amounts of decaying organic matter. it has also become a bit of an invasive species. it was chosen for horror week because it's super gross !! it stinks !! it has tentacles !!

the big question : will it kill me?? urhm. so. i don't know !! no one knows. it smells like rotting flesh so i don't suppose anyone is very keen on trying?

c. archeri description :

"the young fungus erupts from a suberumpent egg by forming into four to seven elongated slender arms initially erect & attached at the top. the arms then unfold to reveal a pinkish-red interior covered with a dark-olive spore-containing gleba."

[images : source, source & source] [fungus description : source]

[morhido]

The human realm can be just as weird as the demon one

[mycological-mariner]

Do you guys even know how much it breaks my heart that I can’t gift bouquets of mushrooms?? Do you know how much I suffer???

[mlgmi316]

Assorted mushroom village Cookies

[limeghosty]

My Inktober Day 13 - Fungi