Fungus of the Week: Devil’s Dipstick
Kai Goldstein | April 30, 2025
Devil’s Dipstick || Mutinus Elegans
Like something alien, a fleshy red fungus arises from an egg known as a volva to greet the world with a stinky awakening. This birth of slime attracts flies and other carrion-lovers to the phallic main character of this drama. A fruit usually must start rotting before it can show off such a putrid aroma, but the Devil’s Dipstick mushroom blooms and ripens to reek all in one fell swoop. This fungus mainly decomposes woody material and was found near a tree stump near the composting facilities. The foul slime produced near the top of its fruiting body is full of spores and clings to the bodies of seduced insects. The egg-like structure it immaturely stems from can be harvested and kept in a moist paper towel to observe as it “hatches.” The hollow stipe (stem) looks similar to a pool noodle, but doesn’t smell like one. Keep those eyes glued to moist ground if you wish to find one, and keep sniffing for a gnarly cross between rotting carcass and poop.