Extract from Wikipedia article: Phallus ravenelii, commonly known as Ravenel's stinkhorn, is a fungus found in eastern North America. Its mushrooms commonly grow in large clusters and are noted for their foul odor and phallic shape when mature. It is saprobic, and as such it is encountered in a wide variety of habitats rich in wood debris, from forests to mulched gardens or sawdust piles in urban areas. It appears from August to October. The fruit body emerges from a pink or lavender-colored egg to form a tall, cylindrical, hollow and spongy white stalk with a bell-shaped cap. The remains of the egg persist as a white to pink or lilac volva at the base of the stalk. The cap is covered in a foul-smelling olive-green spore slime, which attracts insects that help to spread the spores. Sometimes, the cap has a "veil" attached—a thin membrane that hangs underneath. The lack of a roughly ridged and pitted cap differentiates it from the closely related Phallus impudicus. The fungus is named after Henry William Ravenel, a botanist who first discovered it in 1846, though it remained undescribed until 1873. It is considered to be an edible mushroom while in its egg form.
Lilac egg of a stinkhorn mushrooms Phallus ravenelii in Lake Bryan Park. Bryan, Texas, October 10, 2018 P4-746, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
Egg of stinkhorm mushroom Phallus ravenelii in Hensel Park. College Station, Texas, October 19, 2018 101 Redbud St, Bryan, TX 77801, USA
Ravenel's stinkhorn mushrooms (Phallus ravenelii) on mulch under a live oak on Texas Avenue near Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, June 28, 2020 103 Moss St, College Station, TX 77840, USA
Egg stage of Ravenel's stinkhorn mushrooms (Phallus ravenelii) on mulch under a live oak on Texas Avenue near Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, June 28, 2020 103 Moss St, College Station, TX 77840, USA
Cross section of gg stage of Ravenel's stinkhorn mushrooms (Phallus ravenelii) on mulch under a live oak on Texas Avenue near Texas A and M University. College Station, Texas, June 28, 2020 103 Moss St, College Station, TX 77840, USA
Egg cross section of Ravenel's stinkhorn mushrooms (Phallus ravenelii(?)) on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, October 1, 2020 Lone Star Hiking Trail, Montgomery, TX 77356, USA
Egg stage of Ravenel's stinkhorn mushrooms (Phallus ravenelii(?)) on Stubblefield section of Lone Star hiking trail north from Trailhead No. 6 in Sam Houston National Forest. Texas, October 1, 2020 Lone Star Hiking Trail, Montgomery, TX 77356, USA