A mushroom called dead man's fingers. Xylaria polymorpha. Inedible rhodotus mushroom

Nature can create both miracles and terrifying things, because there are beautiful flowers and plants, and there are some that make you feel creepy. One of them is a mushroom called devil's fingers. Now the main question is whether this mushroom is edible, how to recognize it and why nature endowed it with such an appearance.

Description of the mushroom and its features

As soon as the first photographs of this mushroom appeared in in social networks, people did not believe that such a mushroom actually existed. Some said that this was a montage, others argued that these were stills from a horror film. Only specialists knew that such a plant existed in nature, because they themselves studied it.

This demonic species of mushroom was first mentioned in 1860 when describing the flora of Tasmania. After which it began to spread throughout the world and today it has been seen in many countries.

The only mushroom that can change its appearance. A young mushroom looks like a five-centimeter egg in diameter. At this time, it can be confused with a creature from another planet or with a toadstool. Multilayer mushroom:

1. Upper layer- peridium, under which there is a mucous egg that protects the fetus from external irritants.
2. Mucous membrane resembling jelly.
3. The core that will soon become red tentacles (spore layer).

When the mushroom begins to bloom, and this happens from late summer (August) to mid-autumn. The shell of the devil's finger bursts and 8 petals come out, the tips of which are connected. The length of each petal is 10 centimeters. After which the petals separate and straighten, at this time the mushroom is very reminiscent of the tentacles of an octopus. Peridium white or slightly gray with a brown or pink tint. The flesh of the “tentacles” is soft and breaks easily.

From the inside, the mushroom resembles a porous sponge, the petals of this mushroom are quite brittle, on top of them there are spots of different sizes, dark colors and spores, which stink like hell. As a result, the mushroom will bloom completely and will look like a large star, the diameter of which is 15 centimeters. The mushroom basically has no legs. The smell that comes from the devil's finger attracts flies, which in turn carry the spores of the fungus. This is, of course, not the correct way of spreading, especially not typical for a fungus, but it is effective. After the “flower” has fully opened, it lives only 3-5 days, but this is enough for procreation.

When the flower withers, it falls and very much resembles the pale hand of a dead man crawling out of the ground, hence the name “devil's fingers.”

This video tells how the egg of the devil's fingers mushroom develops, what people thought about it when they saw it for the first time on the Internet in the UK:

Prevalence of the fungus

Devil's fingers are native to Australia and New Zealand, and a little later it appeared in Asia, Africa, America, St. Helena and Mauritius. In European countries this mushroom is treated as an alien, but no one knows how this mushroom appeared. There is an opinion that when the textile industry was brought into France in 1915, the mushroom was supplied in wool. And it is possible that his disputes were brought by soldiers from Australia, participants in the hostilities in the first world war in France. Even if this happened by accident, the mushroom still undergoes acclimatization in all parts of the world where it was noticed.

The mushroom survives acclimatization well; it does not matter in what climate or soil it grows. A little later, information was received that the devil's fingers appeared in Germany, Australia, the Czech Republic and England. It is also possible that it was introduced with seedlings and soil, but in some southern and central regions well established.

This mushroom appeared in the USSR back in 1953, in Ukraine in 1977, and in Russia in 1978.

The devil's finger mushroom is listed in the Red Book and is considered the most terrible plant in the world due to its disgusting appearance during flowering.

Distribution in Europe

In Germany, Archer's mushroom is often found, however, it is still listed in the Red Book. In the Czech Republic, not far from a city called Hranice, in a small nature reserve, a devil's finger mushroom was spotted on wood that was rotting. As for the UK, so there amazing mushroom is a great find.

This mushroom was first discovered and described by a certain mycologist Michael Joseph in 1860, he himself comes from Great Britain. A century later, the Briton Donald Malcolm in 1980 assigned this mushroom to the genus Clathrus, after which it received the name Anthurus Archer.

Where do the devil's fingers grow?

The habitats of this “interesting” mushroom are:

• deciduous forest;
• mixed (beech, pine, maple, elm, oak);
• in the area of ​​humus soil and rotting wood.

It can also be found in semi-deserts or deserts, in meadows and parks. They are growing in large groups, because the climate allows them to do so.

Edibility of the mushroom

Despite its terrible and disgusting appearance, it is still edible, but those who have tried it say that the taste and smell are as disgusting as its appearance.

It can be eaten only if a person is in such a situation that there is nothing to eat except this mushroom. But if life allows you to eat normal food, then you don’t even need to try the devil’s fingers.

In general, this mushroom is very rarely seen. When it blooms, it scares people with its appearance and smell, similar to dog feces. Those who tried to taste the devil's fingers had to prepare themselves for a long time, because the appearance and smell of the missing meat frightened them. In addition, the tentacles contain terribly nasty mucus that sticks to your hands.

But still there were people, thrill-seekers, who managed to cook a dish from an unopened egg. According to their story, it has a sugary taste, but the interesting feeling from it remains for a long time.

Brothers of the mushroom

The first photos on the Internet of this miracle caused a lot of comments; at first people did not believe that it was reality, but later they believed it. It is very easy to distinguish it from other mushrooms, since its appearance is unlike any other plant. True, the young mushroom is somewhat similar to the fungus, but the fungus has green flesh when cut, which cannot be said about the devil's fingers.

Although it is a unique mushroom, there are still somewhat similar mushrooms:

• Javan flowertail lives on the territory of Russia, but unlike the devil’s finger, its top never separates and does not bloom like a star.
• Red grille just like the devil's fingers, it hatches from a kind of egg covered with a mucous membrane. The mushroom grows very quickly in size, becoming round and lattice-shaped.
• Veselka. The main difference from the devil's fingers is the presence of a leg that reaches 15 centimeters in height. The mushroom itself grows rapidly, half a centimeter per minute. The smell is also unpleasant, but the mushroom is widely used in folk medicine.

The mushroom, which is called the devil's fingers, is very unique and at the same time terrifying. Many people do not know that this mushroom has already spread to many countries of the world. In general, it is not eaten, but it is not poisonous. Those who tried this mushroom said that it was not tasty and had a specific unpleasant odor.

The natural world is full of unexpected surprises, and when you think you know everything about the world around you, rest assured that this is a delusion. So, for example, we are accustomed to the fact that a mushroom looks like a cap on a long (or not so long) stem. But the fungus xillaria proliform will radically change your understanding of these organisms, surprise you, and perhaps even scare you a little.

It's all about the unusual appearance of these mushrooms, which are also called Dead Man's Fingers. And these organisms fully justify their name, since they are very easily confused with the stiff fingers of a deceased person. Xylaria multiforme can be found on stumps and rotten wood from late spring to late autumn, and especially at the beginning of its development, it has an elongated dark green stalk 3 to 10 centimeters long with a rounded light brown tip, which really closely resembles human fingers. However, despite its terrifying appearance, the Dead Man's Fingers have not gained any frightening fame, and even vice versa. Although these mushrooms are not suitable for food consumption due to their strong hardness and lack of any taste, certain hopes are pinned on them in the treatment of diseases such as cancer and HIV, since through many scientific research It has been proven that the bioactive substance contained in the pulp of xillaria prevents the proliferation of the immunodeficiency virus and cancer cells.

Vaulted star (lat. )

It seems as if Mother Earth decided to create a mushroom in the image and likeness of a person. The vaulted starfish really resembles a human figure. This mushroom also looks like a dome-shaped earth star. That’s why people, in English-speaking countries, call it that. The second variant of the name is acrobatic earth star.

It reaches a height of 4-8 cm. It is usually found singly or in small groups in the forests of North America and Europe, mainly in Mexico and the southwestern United States of America. If you find this mushroom, you should know that it is inedible.

Trembling brain (lat. ) - forest brain

In the context.

Striped glass (lat. ) - a small bird's nest with miniature eggs

What kind tiny bird found this nest and laid eggs in it? Calm down: this is not at all the work of the wings of a miniature bird. This is about beautiful mushroom striped glass, or, as it is also called, striped ciatus. You can find these in summer and fall on dead wood in areas with temperate climate all over the planet: in Asia, in Europe, in North, Central and South America, in New Zealand. The color and size of striped glasses may vary slightly, but, as a rule, they are no more than 1 cm in width and height. The striped cyathus has a gray or brown color. By the way, in scientific literature the tiny “eggs” are called peridioles.

Auricularia ear-shaped (lat. ) - the forest hears everything

Ears in the middle of the forest? It looks like a David Lynch film. But this can actually happen to you. You can even eat them if you want. In fact, these are mushrooms called Auricularia otica. Their size varies from 3 to 12 cm. These reddish-brown “ears” can be found in damp places, mainly on dead deciduous trees and shrubs. Mushrooms grow all year round, however, they can most often be found in the fall. They are widely distributed in temperate and subtropical climates around the world.

Auricularia auriculata mushroom in Asia, especially in China, it is considered delicacy. It is specially grown on dead wood, for example, cork oak, elderberry, and banana of paradise wood. While in Chinese People's Republic You can try the Chinese Black Mushroom Soup, a must-have ingredient of the aforementioned mushroom. Auricularia auriculata is also used for preparing salads. In China, Ghana, and Nigeria, it is believed that dishes made from these mushrooms are medicinal. In particular, the Chinese believe that soup with “ears” helps in the fight against colds and fever.

Anthurus archera (lat. Clathrus archeri) - devil's fingers, octopus or starfish?

When the Anthurus archer mushroom opens, it looks similar to starfish or an octopus. Typically has 4 to 7 pinkish-red "tentacles". Popularly known as the devil's fingers, the world's creepiest mushroom. It is easy to recognize not only by appearance, but also due to the terrible unpleasant smell of carrion. The smell attracts flies, which spread the spores. Anthurus archer grows in groups, often among wood chips, old stumps and stale leaves. Initially it grew in Australia and Tasmania, but now it can be found in Europe and in North America, and in Asia. Do not try this mushroom when it is open; it is inedible.

Undisclosed.

Hydnellum peca (lat. ) - “bleeding” mushroom

If you walk through the forests of North America and some European countries, You may discover a mushroom with a scary popular name, bloody tooth or devil tooth. Although there are people who look at it from a culinary point of view. To them, the mushroom resembles ice cream with strawberry syrup.

Only young, wet mushrooms can “bleed” bright red liquid. Interestingly, the liquid contains an effective anticoagulant. While Gindellum peca is young, it is easy to identify, but as it ages, the mushroom becomes brown and inconspicuous. "Bleeding" mushroom inedible, although it is not toxic. It tastes extremely bitter. The size of the mushroom ranges from 5 to 10 cm in height. Gindellum peka grows on the ground under coniferous trees, often among mosses. Between the roots of some trees and these mushrooms there are mutually beneficial relationship, there is an exchange of useful substances.

- dead man's fingers

When this mushroom is encountered along the way, it seems that the dead man was trying to get out of his grave with his own hands. But again we are talking about mushrooms, whose popular name is dead man's fingers. Not edible mushrooms Xylaria polymorpha appears in the spring, most often on damaged stumps or rotten wood. At first they are bluish or bluish, then, by summer, the mushrooms gradually acquire an ominous appearance for the human eye. Polymorpha means "many forms". As the name itself suggests, the shape of Xylaria polymorpha mushrooms is very diverse. But in most cases the shape is club-shaped, that is, thickened at one end.

Young mushrooms.

Mature black mushrooms.

in the section.

Horrible! Spitting fingers of a zombie.

How do you like the selection? unusual mushrooms? Which one surprised you the most? Share your opinion on social networks!

Incredible facts

While walking in the forest, you can sometimes stumble upon absolutely incredible specimens.

These creations created by nature may seriously frighten you, as they look more like someone's body parts than plants.

Although many of them are completely harmless, they can still create a creepy impression.

1. Bleeding tooth mushroom

Mushroom cap Hydnellum Peca (Hydnellum peckii) comes in different shapes, but when a red viscous substance begins to flow out of it, the mushroom can be confused with bleeding tooth, which was dropped to the ground. Sap is released from the pores at night due to excess moisture that accumulates in the roots.

The mushroom is also called "strawberries and cream", but you shouldn't try it. Although it is not poisonous, it tastes bitter and pungent, which makes it inedible.

In addition, it absorbs from environment the heavy element cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope that can be toxic at certain levels.

However, studies on the "bleeding tooth" have shown that it contains atromenthin, which has anticoagulant properties. The mushroom usually grows near coniferous trees in America and Eurasia.

2. Poisonous plant "Doll's eye"

Berries " doll eye" (Actaea pachypoda) were named so not by chance, since these white oblong berries look very similar bulging eyes.

The ominous appearance is a warning, as the plant contains carcinogenic toxin, which immediately puts the heart muscle to sleep.

If consumed internally, it can lead to heart attack and even death. A black dot or “pupil” is a scar that appears on the pointed end of the stem during the initial stage of growth.

Each berry has several seeds, but most birds are immune to the toxins. They eat the berries and excrete the seeds in their excrement. Leaves, stem and roots, and white flowers when touched may cause blisters on the skin, and when consumed orally, cause intestinal inflammation.

A large number of berries can kill a person.

3. Lepiota - “nipple mushroom”

Mushrooms of the genus Lepiota often resemble human nipples in appearance. White mushroom cap lepiota brown-yellow (Lepiota boudieri) gradually darkens from ocher to dark brown towards the center. The surface of the mushroom looks smooth like skin, and the top is covered with fine brown hairs. Once wet, the mushroom cap hangs down from the moisture, forming a “nipple.”

Most lepiota mushrooms contain amatoxin, which is extremely poisonous. Lepiota brown-yellow was previously called the “umbrella mushroom,” which can mislead an inexperienced mushroom picker, since other edible mushrooms of the species Macrolepiota procera also called "umbrella mushrooms".

4. Sublime psychotria - “hot lips”

Tree Psychotria sublime (Psychotria elata) grows in the tropical rain forests of Central and South America. From December to March, the plant's bright red bracts look like lips painted with lipstick.

The red color lures pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies. When the bracts open, star-shaped inflorescences and oval berries appear inside.

Hot lips are a popular gift in Central America to express love.

The bark and leaves of the tree are used for treating ear pain, skin rashes and coughs. Natives of Panama use the plant to treat breathing problems. Unfortunately, deforestation has led to the fact that psychotria is now on the verge of extinction.

5. False morels

Morels are highly prized by culinary experts and can be quite expensive when in season. However, amateurs cannot always distinguish a real morel from a false one, which is very toxic. Near 20 percent deaths associated with mushroom consumption is due to false morels.

Some less toxic types of false morels are prepared in Scandinavian countries, where they are boiled and washed several times. Despite this, it is a carcinogen hydrazine gyromitrine remains in small quantities and is especially dangerous for pregnant and lactating women.

Gyromithrine poisoning includes symptoms such as diarrhea, headache, nausea and vomiting, and in large quantities it can lead to liver damage up to the need for a liver transplant.

True morels have a lattice-like surface of the cap with depressions and irregularities. False morels have a wavy, lobed surface that resembles cerebral cortex in humans. In addition, the cap of false morels is not completely attached to the stem and, when cut, is filled with white pulp, whereas real morels are hollow inside.

6. Inedible rhodotus mushroom

Mushroom cap rhodotus (Rhodotus palmatus) accepts different shapes and colors depending on the light it receives on early stage development. The mushroom may resemble human heart, stomach and even spongy lung.

The surface of the cap is gelatinous with white grooves or veins with reticulate grooves, resembling vascular system internal organs, and underneath the surface the flesh is dense. When it accumulates in the roots a large number of moisture, the mushroom secretes red or orange juice through its pores in a process called guttation.

Rhodotus grows near rotting deciduous trees eg elms in Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Italy, Germany, Poland and North America. Mushroom has a bitter taste and is inedible.

7. Snapdragon

Flowers annual plant Snapdragon large (Antirrhinum majus) resemble an open lion's mouth.

Several legends are associated with the plant. According to one of them, the house where snapdragon grows will be free from witchcraft and curses. According to another belief, a woman who eats this plant will have beauty throughout her life. However, you should not do this, as it poisonous.

In late summer, when the petals wither and fall off, the achene is exposed and the seeds fall from three holes, giving the plant type of skull.

8. Judas ear mushroom

Auricularia ear-shaped (Auricularia auricula), usually grows in groups on rotting or living trees. The mushroom has a gelatinous flesh and a reddish-brown surface covered with fine hairs and veins, resembling the shape human ear.

The mushroom is known to lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood clotting.

It is popular in Japan and China delicacy, which is often called “boneless meat”. 100 grams of dried Judas's Ear mushrooms contain 11 grams of protein, 65 grams of carbohydrates, no fat, and are rich in iron and calcium. In China it is used for medicinal purposes, ranging from treating hemorrhoids to lung infections.

9. Strange mushroom Askokorina meat

When the gelatinous mushroom Askokorine meat (Ascocoryne sarcoides) grows on dead deciduous wood, it looks like spherical earlobes. When mushrooms gather in bunches, pressing against each other, they begin to resemble small intestine , especially if they are wet from dew or rain.

The fungus is most often found on broadleaf trees, especially beech trees in Europe and Australia. Ascocorine has no distinctive odor or taste and is considered inedible.

Mushroom Anthurus Archer (Clathrus archeri), also known as "devil's fingers". In its mature form, the mushroom has 4-8 red "fingers" with black spheres resembling the suckers on an octopus' tentacles. These black balls, called gleba, emit rancid smell, looking like rotting meat. This attracts flies, which scatter fungal spores.

Like other mushrooms, anthurus grows first as a white, ovoid bulb, and when it bursts, white fingers appear like hand of a corpse crawling out of a grave.

Eventually the "fingers" rise up, growing up to 10 cm in height and extending up to 20 cm in width. Although the mushroom is not toxic, due to its smell it is considered inedible.

It happens that nature suddenly opens its storerooms, and incredible, even creepy plants appear into the light of day, about which few people know. Some of them don't require climbing at all. high mountains or descend into the depths of the sea. Even the mushrooms themselves are mysterious and unusual. When most people mention them, they imagine a forest in which a boletus or milk mushroom flaunts on a thick stalk among the foliage. But the mushroom kingdom is huge and diverse: from microscopic to huge specimens.

However, among them there are also especially unusual ones. Russian forests in this sense are quite harmless. Here you can find ordinary mushrooms, edible and inedible. But if you happen to find yourself in a tropical forest, you can come across something that is also called mushrooms, but causes the only desire - to run away.

What is it about? Almost footage of their “Aliens”

And you can’t believe your eyes anymore, because everything that’s happening seems like a movie from science fiction. One minute there was a tuber lying on the ground, a little like a potato, and a moment later red fleshy tentacles released from it lay on the grass. And all the time it seems that these cute limbs are going to grab you. The spectacle, frankly speaking, is terrible.

But there's no need to worry. Because it scary creature is actually a terrestrial mushroom. This is how the Archer's flowertail (Clathrus archeri) from the genus Lattice of the Veselkov family - the "devil's fingers" mushroom - is born. Who would have thought that appearance it doesn't live up to its name.

And still

Anthurus Archer has many names, but the most popular among them is “devil fingers”. These are the same tentacles of red shades, on which, like suction cups from the tentacles of an octopus, there are black spheres (hence another name - “octopus mushroom”). These black balls are gleba, emitting a rotten smell of rotten meat.

The aged "devil's fingers" mushroom is even scarier. His bright color disappears, and what remains is a monstrous pale hand, as if it had crawled out of the grave. The aroma they emit is akin to the smell of rotting flesh. With it, it attracts insects that scatter fungal spores over long distances.

Where did this creepy mushroom come from?

How and where did the creepy “devil’s fingers” mushroom spread? Where does it grow? It was first described in Tasmania and very soon discovered in Australia, followed by New Zealand, Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, South America, and Mauritius.

Europe considers him an alien. Nobody knows the exact time it was brought here. It is believed that it was accidentally introduced into France sometime between 1914 and 1920 from Australia, and possibly from New Zealand, along with wool supplied for the needs of textile industry. Or maybe his disputes came here with Australian soldiers who took part in hostilities on French territory in the First World War. Even if he was brought in by accident, he acclimatized quite successfully. This is how amazing the Australian “devil’s fingers” mushrooms look.

And here's the result

Since the mid-30s, terrible finds have been discovered in Europe. They are concentrated mainly in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France, almost close to the borders of Switzerland and Germany, crossed them and spread further: in Germany (in 1937), Switzerland (in 1942), England (in 1945), Austria (in 1948), Czech Republic (in 1963). After some 60 years, the mushroom has already mastered the Baltic coast. This happens quite quickly. "Devil's fingers", the world's most terrifying mushroom, are found more and more often from Spain in the west to Ukraine and Poland in the east, from Scandinavia and Great Britain in the north to Balkan countries on South.

The first find on the territory of the former Soviet Union noted in Kazakhstan (Aktobe region) in 1953, the next one - in the Ukrainian Carpathians in 1977. This tropical predator is found, although extremely rarely, in Russia. It is possible that it was brought here with soil and seedlings, but in some southern and central regions it has successfully established itself. Thus, isolated cases when Anthurus Archer caught the eye of mushroom pickers were noted in Sverdlovsk (1978) and Kaluga regions(2000s).

The devil's fingers mushroom is accustomed to living among mixed and deciduous forests, where it successfully takes root on humus soils and rotting wood among the sands. It begins to bloom from August to the end of October. The mushroom is quite rare, but it can grow in considerable quantities if weather allow.

Devil's fingers mushroom: description

The Anthurus Archer mushroom can even be called cunning. And all because at first he pretends to be a whitish toadstool, the most ordinary and unremarkable. This applies to the stage when it is egg-shaped, 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter. When mushrooms are scattered throughout the forest, you can think anything about them, even mistake them for an alien creature.

But in fact, the egg has a multilayer structure:

• peridium - top layer;
• mucous membrane, which in composition resembles jelly;
• the core, which consists of a receptacle (what will become the red petals) and in the center a gleba (spore-bearing layer).

But time passes and they begin to bloom. The spectacle is no less creepy when up to eight petals literally erupt from the bursting shell of the egg. At first they are fused at the top, but soon they very quickly separate and resemble blades or even tentacles, like an octopus.

By the way, the metaphor “helicopter” would be better. Can you imagine an octopus traveling from one continent to another, as Archer's Anthurus has done over the last hundred years? In the end the mushroom is found characteristic shape a star or flower about 15 centimeters in diameter. And inside the petals resemble a wrinkled, porous sponge, by the way, quite brittle, with dark spots, like the suckers on an octopus. They are covered with spore-bearing mucous gleba, which is precisely the source of the intolerable stench. But it successfully attracts flies. And already the insects are carrying the spores of this monster around on their paws. Of course, the method chosen for dispersing spores is not the most common among other mushrooms, but it is certainly effective.

The interesting devil's fingers mushroom has no obvious stem. And after emerging from the egg, it lives only two or three days, after which it withers and dies. But this short period is enough for it to fulfill its function - transferring the seed, so that the race continues.

Devil's fingers mushroom - edible or not?

Indeed, an interesting question. So is it possible to eat the wonderful creation “devil’s fingers”? You can eat mushrooms! There was even one daredevil in California who took a sample at the egg stage. Its taste turned out to be, to put it mildly, quite unpleasant, and the sensations after such a tasting were not the best, but memorable.

If you find yourself in a survival situation, for example, in the desert, and there is no other food, then eat it. Don't die of hunger! In all other cases, consider it inedible.

Almost relatives

Despite all the originality and dissimilarity from other forest inhabitants, there are species that are quite close and similar:

• Java flowertail (Pseudocolus fusiformis syn. Anthurus javanicus). You can meet it in the forests of the Primorsky Territory. Visit (perhaps somewhere else) and find it in some tub where one of the tropical plants. It differs from Archera in having petals converging at the top.
• (Clathrus ruber). This mushroom is very rare.
• (Hallus impudicus). There is considerable similarity in the condition of the egg. It differs from the “fingers” only in the color on the cut; in the Veselka it is green.

Life of the Devil's Fingers on the World Wide Web

The Anthurus Archer mushroom, or “devil's fingers,” is so unusual that everyone who encounters it strives to capture such a wonderful sight. And the Internet is literally filled with a variety of photographs of this seemingly monster, but in fact just a mushroom in all stages of its short life: from eggs scattered throughout the green forest, to a pale, almost white “dead man’s hand” lying on the ground, as if bursting out of the grave through the earth's thickness.

Different “faces” of Anthurus Archer

Those looking at this earthly wonder have a variety of associations. Some people see cacti in it, others see cuttlefish, for others it resembles a star or a flower, and for others octopus tentacles immediately come to mind.

Hence the numerous and such different names with which it is given:

• "devil's fingers"
• "damn fingers"
• "damn egg"
• "mushroom star"
• "stinking octopus horn"
• "cuttlefish mushroom"
• “stinking horn.

Archer's Anthurus (Clathrus archeri) - etymology

Clathrus translated means “bolt, lock” or “vault, cage.” The word archeri comes from the mycologist W. Archer.

Notes on a monster's journey through Europe

• Ukraine. Anthurus Archer is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. As has been the custom since 1977, reports of a meeting with him are still received today from the Transcarpathian, and less often from the Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Almost all finds were recorded in the forest zone, on mountain slopes at an altitude of up to 800 meters above sea level.
• Germany. The Anthurus archer's mushroom, or "devil's fingers", has been found here quite often since it was first discovered in 1937. And yet it is listed in the Red Book.

• Czech Republic, Karlovy Vary region. Near the town of Hranice on a small protected area hiding rare species plants and animals. And although average annual temperature It’s only about 6ºC here, but that didn’t stop the brainchild of the tropics, Anthurus Archer, from settling in these parts. And rotting wood is enough for him to feed and grow.
• Great Britain. Here the “devil's fingers” mushroom (Anthurus archer) is a rare find. And the only species with which it can be confused is Clathrus ruber. But there is confidence that the consequence of global warming may be its wider distribution. You can be sure that it will not go unnoticed for long. This is guaranteed by its terrible appearance and disgusting smell.

By the way, the Anthurus archeri mushroom, or “devil's fingers,” was described in 1860 by the British mycologist Michael Joseph Berkeley and gave it the name Lysurus archeri. This wonderful mushroom was later assigned to the genus Clathrus by another Briton, Donald Malcolm Dring, in his monograph (1980). This creation of nature became known as Anthurus Archer, but the name “devil’s fingers” is most popularly known.