This week's word was chosen by Linda Sue - I hadn't got anything planned for this, but yesterday I was uploading some photos to Flickr and thought this one would fit the bill perfectly! Any idea what this is....?
Well, this oddity with its net covering is a fungus! Phallus indusiatus to be precise - also known as the Crinoline Stinkhorn, bridal veil fungus and bamboo fungus (it grows in bamboo forests). Isn't it bizarre?! As its name suggests it has an unpleasant smell, but nevertheless is now cultivated, dried and eaten in Asia (apparently it was originally reserved for special occasions and was once served at a banquet for Henry Kissinger on his visit to China in the early 70's to reestablish diplomatic relations). I've also read that it is prized for its aphrodisiac qualities, particularly for women!! We came across this specimen whilst doing a trek in the rainforest in the Cameron Highlands. Luckily for our party there was no evident smell - they can be smelt for miles around apparently! Perhaps is was because this is a fallen specimen ( they're usually upright)!
The light was low and unfortunately, my original photo was rather blurred so I doctored it to make it more presentable and then played around a little with a cropped version. If you would like to see better photos and read more about this fungus you can click here.
Scary little holes - looking like something for Halloween!!
For more versions of 'hole' visit Linda Sue's blog for links.
Have a good weekend!
