Overview
Drewes’ Tiny Stinkhorn (Phallus drewesii) is one of the most remarkable and diminutive stinkhorn fungi in the mycological kingdom. Described in 2009 by mycologists from the California Academy of Sciences, this curious fungus was discovered on the remote volcanic oceanic island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Central Africa. Named in honor of herpetologist Dr. Robert Drewes, this species is distinguished by its tiny proportions and unusual downwards-curving stipe, standing as a testament to specialized island mycoflora.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
While most stinkhorns stand upright as tall, phallic columns, Phallus drewesii is miniature and slender, reaching barely two inches in height. As it emerges from its gelatinous underground ‘egg’ volva, the white, hollow, porous stem curves downward in a graceful arc rather than rising vertically. The apex of the stipe terminates in a tiny conical cap coated in a foul-smelling, dark brownish-olive spore slime known as the gleba. The gleba emits a pungent odor of rot and decay designed specifically to attract island flies and beetles.
Behavior and Ecology
Operating as an active saprotrophic recycler in moist cloud forests, the mycelial filaments of Phallus drewesii break down fallen decaying branches and mossy wood fragments, returning vital organic carbon to ancient volcanic soils. Its brief fruiting cycle lasts only 24 to 72 hours. Deceived by the pungent carrion-like stench of the gleba, flies land on the cap to consume the sugary spore slime; as they crawl across the cap, millions of microscopic, cylindrical basidiospores adhere to their bristled legs and mouthparts, dispersing across the misty mountain slopes.
Conservation and Human Impact
Known strictly from high-elevation montane forests inside Obo National Park on São Tomé, Phallus drewesii is protected from commercial urban development. However, because its known range is restricted to a few isolated mountain ridges, it is vulnerable to microclimate shifts, invasive non-native plant encroachment, and climate warming that dries high-altitude cloud cover. Preserving the pristine wilderness of São Tomé’s volcanic peaks ensures this unusual tiny stinkhorn continues to thrive.
Interesting Factoid
Unlike almost all other stinkhorns that stand strictly upright, Drewes’ Tiny Stinkhorn curves downward toward the ground as it grows, making it look like a tiny white cane hanging over mossy wood.
Last updated: October 2026