Mysterious plant that smells ‘like dog poo’ appears in Queensland woman’s backyard as Aussies wonder what it is
Mysterious plant that smells ‘like dog poo’ appears in a Queensland woman’s backyard, as Australians wonder what it is
A woman has shared her excitement at finding a smelly, tentacle-like growth in the backyard of her home.
The Gladstone, Queensland resident shared on Facebook photos of the pink and brown plant, which grows bent over and has a white spot at the top.
“Wanted to share my first amazing mushroom find in my backyard, as far as I know it’s a Lantern Stinkhorn,” she wrote.
“I’ve never actually seen one before, so it was really cool to find it in my lawn this morning.”
A Queensland woman shared photos of the bizarre plant she saw growing in her backyard (pictured)
Lantern Stinkhorn, also known as the little lizard claw, or the ridged lizard claw fungus, is usually found in urban settings such as gardens (pictured)
“It didn’t smell this morning when I found it, but it does smell like fresh dog poop now,” the woman added.
Lantern Stinkhorn, also known as the little lizard claw, or the ridged lizard claw fungus, is usually found in urban settings such as gardens.
The strong unpleasant smell is actually intended to attract flies to spread their spores, said University of Sydney microbiology professor Dee Carter.
“When they’re mature, they ooze a nasty-looking brown substance that sticks to the fly’s legs,” she said. Yahoo News.
“They grow very quickly and they may be ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ because they can pop up overnight, but will also quickly collapse and decay.”
Professor Carter said Lantern Stinkhorns are often brought into gardens by wood mulch and often live on dead matter.
The plant gives off an unpleasant smell that smells like ‘dog poop’ to attract flies (photo)
Although “they look scary,” they are non-toxic and harmful to plants, she explained.
“In fact, they can be useful in their role as nutrient recyclers, but I would keep my dogs away from them just to be on the safe side,” the professor added.
Social media users were divided in the comments as they tried to figure out what it was.
“These scare me,” one user wrote.
“You found this here (I’m a local),” wrote another.
“That’s so cool!”