at long last Spot has found a dog stinkhorn (badly photographed unfortunately), smaller and more slender than its common cousin, but much more dog like (!, or maybe more appropriately :-). If only.
Mutinus caninus. I love the Wikipedia entry: The genus name Mutinus was a phallic deity, Mutinus Mutunus, one of the Roman di indigetes placated by Roman brides, and caninus means "dog-like" in Latin. Mutinus is the diminutive of muto, a Latin word for Penis. It was described initially by William Hudson (1730–1793), a noted British botanist. Its common names in French, Phallus de Chien, Satyre des chiens, also hint at its resemblance to a dog penis. It is commonly known as the "dog stinkhorn".
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Mutinus caninus. I love the Wikipedia entry: The genus name Mutinus was a phallic deity, Mutinus Mutunus, one of the Roman di indigetes placated by Roman brides, and caninus means "dog-like" in Latin. Mutinus is the diminutive of muto, a Latin word for Penis. It was described initially by William Hudson (1730–1793), a noted British botanist. Its common names in French, Phallus de Chien, Satyre des chiens, also hint at its resemblance to a dog penis. It is commonly known as the "dog stinkhorn".
thank you Deri for some much needed information :-
I like the name of the common stinkhorn best - Phallus impudicus. Wonderful stuff. It always raised a teenage titter in our A Level Botany classes.
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