21 October 2025
9 min watch
Facehugger? Demogorgon? Or the Devil's fingers?
Meet the scary stinkhorn fungus making an autumnal appearance at Kew Gardens.
.jpg3783.webp?itok=tIikWND7 "Octopus stinkhorn (Clathrus archeri) © Wikimedia Commons/JeanRoulin")
As Halloween draws in, keep your eyes peeled: you might spot the Devil’s fingers bursting from the ground!
Join Issy, Lee and Finn, Kew’s curator mycologists as they introduce the monstrous Clathrus archeri, also known as Devil’s fingers, octopus stinkhorn or the squid fungus.
Why are they known as Devil’s fingers? Why do they smell so bad? And what are some of the other stinkhorn species? Learn all this and more in our Dig Deeper Halloween special!
Dig Deeper
Dig Deeper is Kew's ongoing YouTube series that delves into the stories behind plants and fungi you know and love, featuring experts from Kew Gardens and Wakehurst.
