365 Urban Species. #208: Pigskin Earthball

[urbpan]

Photo by urbpan. Location: the Riverway, Boston.

Urban species #208: Pigskin earthball Scleroderma citrinum

There's more to puffballs than you might think. Sure, they are more or less spherical mushrooms with internal spore-producing tissue, wrapped in leathery hides that open when mature, dispersing clouds of millions of spores when raindrops strike their surface; but there are many different kinds. Importantly, for mushroom foragers, there are edible kinds and poisonous kinds. One group of closely related fungi that produce tough-skinned, poisonous fruiting bodies with dark spore masses is distinguished from the true puffballs with the name "earthball." The most common species, bearing a pebbly texture resembling uncured leather, is Scleroderma citrinum, the pigskin earthball. Like Russulas and the amethyst deceiver, they are mycorhizzal, and grow only in association with the roots of trees--in the east, usually oaks. Molecular identification techniques show these mushrooms to be more closely related to certain cap-and-stem mushrooms than to true puffballs. Other common names for this mushroom include "common earthball" and "poison pigskin puffball."


Photo by cottonmanifesto.

Comments

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

You forgot to mention how much fun it is to stomp on them and watch the great cloud of spores come out of them. I used to do that a lot as a kid. Was I helping nature out or just being a cruel and destructive little prick?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

From the fungus' point of view, you were helping to disperse its spores--did you mean to be a cruel and destructive little prick?

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Nope. Just being a kid and enjoying the spectacle. I think I used to tell myself I was helping out, but even then I knew it was just a justification.

[vyoma.livejournal.com]

Those don't look quite like Scleroderma to me. Scleroderma don't generally have a columnella (that little "base" that protrudes into the spore mass in the cross-section) and, believe it or not, the skin looks a bit on the thin side. It's hard to say without looking at the spores under magnification, but that might just be a species of Calvatia that you have.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Ah, good to know. The second picture is of a different mushroom than the first and was taken some time ago (two summers ago?). Maybe I'll try to find the first grouping pictured and cut one of them and see if it has a columnella.

I doubt it was a Calvatia because the spore mass was solid (not yet mature) and dark. But if nothing else, you have underscored the difficulty of positively identifying fungi, especially in the field.

(I'm almost afraid to ask) Have you seen my other fungus entries on this project?

[vyoma.livejournal.com]

Sure... I think I've even commented on a couple of 'em. In fact, I think I might have identified an amethyst mushroom for cottonmanifesto a couple of weeks back.

[plantgirl.livejournal.com]

Nice pic of the insides. Thanks.

[octogirlie.livejournal.com]

What is the texture inside like? It looks like it would be solid and/or grainy.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

It's somewhere between Feta and Cheddar cheese.

[mercureal.livejournal.com]

yummy.