Octopus Stinkhorn (Anthurus archeri, Clathrus archeri)

Various people, Net surfers or listeners, asked for to me the name of this unknown “plant” whose remarkable red arms were spread with the autumn on the wood ground of leafy trees of our areas.

First of all, it is not of a plant but about a mushroom, Anthurus archeri, formerly called Clathrus archeri, division of the Basidiomycetes, mushrooms such as the amanitas, agarics, the boletus, the polypores on the parasite or tree trunks of plants (rusts and coals).

Anthurus archeri (Clathrus archeri)

The body, visible on photography above, is clear, measurement 5 cm height and 4 cm diameter. With its 4 to 8 red arms a length reaching 9 cm length, it evokes an octopus making the recognition easy. It is not edible, which goes hand in hand with its unpleasant odor.

Anthurus archeri is not an indigenous mushroom, i.e. originating in our areas. Its natural geographical distribution is Australia and New Zealand. He was seen for the first time in France in 1920. From where the assumption that its introduction would be due to the transport of spores either in wool balls intended for our spinning mills or in fodder of the horses imported of this area and intended to be useful on the French battle fields.