Clathrus ruber

Overview

The university atlas describes a white egg rupturing into a basal volva. The mature orange-red fruiting body forms a hollow latticed ball, with olive-brown spore slime and a strong odour. Its cage-like structure differs from an ordinary mushroom cap or separate tentacles.

A museum identification of garden specimens explains how attracted flies acquire the spore mass on their feet. The fungus decomposes organic matter and appears in mulched gardens. This local observation supports a dispersal mechanism, not a claim that every reported population shares an introduced origin.

A 2021 culture experiment compared growth on three agar media. Modified Melin-Norcrans medium performed best under its tested conditions. Microscopy recorded clamp connections and inclusions in intercalary cells; the proposed nature and function of those inclusions remained uncertain. The field illustration does not fabricate a microscopic diagnosis.

Origins & earliest records

Field identification and a controlled culture study address fruiting bodies and vegetative mycelium separately.

Evidence & interpretation

The atlas supplies macroscopic diagnosis, the museum documents field identification, and the primary paper retains experimental methods and results.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Clathrus ruber

   Ian Gibson

2. 02

   Clathrus ruber?

   Bob Cummings · 2019

3. 03

   Morphological and growth characteristics of Clathrus ruber P. Micheli ex Pers. vegetative mycelium in vitro condition

   M. Sukhomlyn, N. Tsvyd, I. Poplevicheva and M. Pasailiuk · 2021

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Phallaceae placement follows the culture paper; neither lattice shape nor culture growth establishes a new phylogeny.

1. FamilyPhallaceae
2. PhylumBasidiomycota

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional synthesisUniversity fungal atlasResearch access: 2026-10-11
2. Expert field accountMuseum field identificationResearch access: 2026-10-11
3. Primary researchMycelial culture experimentResearch access: 2026-10-11

Image credits

AI red lattice stinkhorn emerging from its egg.

AI interpretation of the mature lattice fruiting phase; ground and fly imagined.