devil's-fingers

The fruiting bodies undergo two stages: they first resemble white eggs from which four to eight arms later emerge, reaching up to 10 cm (4 in) in length. The arms are pinkish-red in colour and covered in a gelatinous, dark-olive mass of spores called gleba. In maturity, the fruiting bodies smell like rotten meat, attracting flies and other insects that feed on the gleba and spread the spores. Clathrus archeri is edible, but accounts of its taste vary.

Although the native range of C. archeri is disputed, it is found in Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and has since spread to Europe, North America, and South America, potentially qualifying it as an invasive species. C. archeri occurs on a variety of soil types, but prefers acidic and humid soils, and commonly fruits on mulch and forest litter.