Mystery Plant in my front garden

[robinrs1212]

I found this plant in my front garden and was hoping someone could help me identify it. I live in Southern Coastal Georgia one street away from the marshes. Our yard almost always has standing water and the soil is very damp and has a high salt content. The plant was found coming up out of pine needles surround a clump of camillia & pine trees. It smells like a dead animal and had a lot of gnats around and on it.

 

[Exo]

A stinkhorn mushroom perhaps?

 

[swords]

I think it COULD be a Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) they live in swampy wet areas and bloom before putting up leaves. You may be too far south for them though. Here's a page all about em with photos and stuff:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Skunk%20Cabbage.html

I tried to grow one in a huge planter but it didn't work out.

It does look like some of the open stinkhorns too.

 

[w03]

That is not a plant! In fact, it is a mushroom of the stinkhorn group. The name is Pseudocolus fusiformis (I think - most likely), or some other member of the stinkhorn group. These are usually found in the mid-atlantic states, but can be found as far west as Kansas.

See here: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/phallaceae.html

 

[mass]

I didn't read over the responses.. but I'm sure a few of them already stated that it is not a plant. The morels are out and kickin' in your area!! Your mushshroom is in fact a "Stinky Squid" Pseudocolus schellenbergiae / Pseudocolus fusiformis / Clathrus columnatus : ~ Stinkhorn They are all pretty much the same species, just found in different geological locations.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/pseudocolus_fusiformis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrus_columnatus

http://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...olus schellenbergiae&fr2=tab-web&fr=yfp-t-892

 

[Chomp]

That is definitely a stinkhorn. You are lucky. I once had a different king in my backyard that would pop out of the ground every spring. But I dont live there anymore. ):

 

[jameandrew]

Its looking like a mushroom to me.I have also seen such kind of plants in my garden few years back it turned out to be mushroom.anyways its good find some mysterious thing in your garden as it keeps your interest in planting more plants.