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In the past few weeks, after the rain started up I noticed these mushrooms around my local area. I'd never seen them previously out of the 20 years I've lived here (a town in Queensland, Australia).

Sometimes they have a net-like section, and they sometimes have 10+ flies around a mushroom cluster.

What are these mushrooms? Are they common in Australia?Netted Mushroom

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    $\begingroup$ Given the gumtree leaves this had to be down under :) I haven't seen them anywhere her in the ACT. Too dry, perhaps :) $\endgroup$ – AliceD♦ Feb 26 '15 at 10:22
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You found a member of the stinkhorn family, The Phallales (in the family Phallacea), probably a Veiled Lady (Phallus indusiatus) or a Phallus multicolor (they have other names as well.) They are common in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia. Don't eat them; they're attractive to dogs (lovely aroma!) and there have been dog deaths.

enter image description here

These fungi produce a spore slime which has an intense smell of rotting meat or sewage, which is why flies are attracted to them.

They are commonly found in rotted woody material.

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  • $\begingroup$ The link also says " An edible mushroom featured as an ingredient in Chinese haute cuisine, it is used in stir-frys and chicken soups. The mushroom, grown commercially and commonly sold in Asian markets, is rich in protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. The mushroom also contains various bioactive compounds, and has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Phallus indusiatus has a recorded history of use in Chinese medicine extending back to the 7th century AD, and features in Nigerian folklore." $\endgroup$ – Jayachandran Feb 26 '15 at 10:37
  • $\begingroup$ @Jay - Yes, I saw that. The Japanese eat pufferfish, too. That doesn't mean it's not poisonous. That isn't the only site I checked. The reason I gave that caution is that there have been dog deaths. It might, on the other hand, be more toxic in dogs than humans. $\endgroup$ – anongoodnurse Feb 26 '15 at 19:06
  • $\begingroup$ According to the Wikipedia page that you took this image off, the image shows a P. multicolor instead. $\endgroup$ – March Ho Feb 28 '15 at 13:02

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