Stinkhorn

There are a variety Stinkhorn species in New Zealand

Stinkhorns are a Saprobic fungi which cone in a variety of shapes and sizes.

The fruiting body of a stinkhorn fungus emerges from the ground as an egg-like structure. It then splits open, revealing a stalk with a number of coloured arms. This one, is growing at the base of a Tanikaha.

The spore masses are brown, slimy, with an unpleasant smell attracting flies and other insects. They stick to these insects dispersing the spores