The Clathrus Ruber also known as the Basket stink horn or “the Devil’s egg” is an intriguing fungus.
Its fruit is a hollow sphere with interlaced branches and can be found feeding off decaying woody plant material, and is usually found alone or in groups in leaf litter on garden soil, grassy places, or on woodchip garden mulches.
The height ranges from 8 to 20 cm. The leathery, basket like structure is usually bright pink to pale orange. Despite the smell of Stink horn mushroom usually being considered an unpleasant odor, it is still considered a delicacy in many European and Asian countries where they are readily available in markets under the common name “Devil’s egg”.
An important caution to heed is that of consuming the Devil’s eggs” only during the egg stage and not as a mature fruit to avoid poisoning.