Previously recorded in Redwood Bush in 2019, these were observed by Gil in December 2021.
The stinkhorn/starfish/sea anemone saprotrophic fungi are seasonal and usually reddish-orange in colour. They grow on rotting wood and emit a foul-smelling odour to attract flies which enables dispersal of their spores. The slimy, brightly coloured fruiting bodies emerge from an egg sac that contain the spores at the base of the ‘arms’.
Flies eat the spores and then spread them to enable further growth of these fungi.
Article Source: Gil Roper’s FOTBR Newsletter Feb 2022
Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves 