Mutinus ravenelii

Mutinus ravenelii (Berk. & M.J. Curtis) E. Fisch. (illustrated 60% life size) Fruit body initially 1–2cm across, egg-like, semi-submerged; white to rose-pink; ruptured by the spongy, spore-bearing, stalk-like receptacle, 100–180×10–20mm, tapering at apex to an acute point, with small opening at tip; bright carmine-red, fading at base; upper half covered in dark olive to blackish spore mass, which soon liquefies and smells strong, sickly sweet or metallic, but not especially unpleasant. Spores 4–7×2–3¼, elliptical, smooth; brown. Habitat in leaf litter, woody debris, and rich soil; summer to autumn. Very rare. Said to be edible in egg stage but not recommended.