Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic (Calostoma cinnabarinum)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; in moss under oaks, likes sandy soil; spring and fall
Form Description:
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Outer surface– The red outer skin is somewhat papery and covered in a thick jelly at first. With age, this jelly sloughs off, peeling the outer skin of the sac, forming small globs of jelly and tissue that look like amphibian eggs. The spore sac exposed beneath has a layer of red dusting which comes off to reveal a yellow, somewhat transparent surface. On top, there is a raised red “mouth” sitting on top where the spores shoot out.
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Flesh – The spore mass inside is all white.
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Base – The sac sits on a soft, dull orange, mangled, and coral-like structure.
Spores: white to cream
Look-a-likes: Calostoma lutescens has a yellow outer skin that peels off, remaining somewhat intact as a collar around the base of the spore sac, and is more common in the southern Appalachians.
Purple-spored Puffball (Calvatia cyathiformis)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; in grass including lawns and pastures; summer and fall
Form Description: very large (see Birkenstock reference) but can also be on the smaller side, like a tennis ball
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Outer surface – a smooth outer surface that can look cracked or scaly when mature; pale brown to white colored, smaller ones in the colder months sometimes look metallic or burnished
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Flesh – when young, the interior is white (and edible at this stage) but soon turns yellow and then eventually dark purple;
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Base – sterile, turning yellow and then olive with age rather than purple with spores; it also usually sticks around long after the puffball has “puffed” as a cup full of leftover spores (see ____ photo)
Spores: deep purple
Look-a-likes: Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) has a much smoother, all-white surface, no distinct base and the interior turns yellow-brown when mature; the Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis) is shaped like a skull, with a well-developed, sterile base and yellow-olive mature interior.
Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea)
Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on the ground in grassy areas (urban, pastures, lawns) or in open woods
Fruiting body:
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Outer surface – very smooth and white; might wrinkle and crack
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Flesh – solid white sponge inside; maturing into yellowish, olive-brown spore dust
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Base – attached to the ground by a root-like cord
Look-a-likes: Purple-spored Puffball (Calvatia cyathiformis) is tanner, has a more cracking texture, and purple spore dust; the Brain Puffball (Calvatia craniiformis) is shaped like a skull, with a well-developed, sterile base and yellow-olive mature interior.
Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum)
Notes:
Habitat & Ecology: mycorrhizal; on the ground, usually on moss, under coniferous or deciduous species; summer and fall
Fruiting body: golf-ball-sized
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Outer surface – tough, scaly, yellow-brown skin on a thin layer of white material (might turn pink when cut)
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Flesh – white and pith-like spore mass, ripening dark purple/black from the center, outward
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Base – no stem, attached to the ground via white mycelium strands
Spores: black or purple-black
Look-a-likes: Leopard Earthball (Scleroderma areolatum) has more flexible skin with small dots rather than mosaic-like scales.
Gem-studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)
Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; on the ground under conifers or deciduous trees, or on roadsides and urban areas; summer and fall
Fruiting body: golf-ball sized; round, flattish top that narrows to a substantial base/stem – pear-shaped
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Outer surface – white, maybe tinted pink-yellow-brown; paper-thin; covered in firm, brown-tipped spines shaped like cones with smaller spines and granules surrounding them; spines leave behind pock marks when rubbed off; opening for spores on the apex
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Flesh – solid, spongy, and white when young, upper “puff” ripens into an olive-brown mass of spores
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Base – well-defined, sterile stem; remains white or pink-tinted inside with age
Look-a-likes: Umber-brown Puffball (Lycoperdon umbrinum) has fuzzy or granular-like spines, is dark brown, grows under conifers; Lycoperdon molle is very similar to L. umbrinum but has less dense spines, revealing more of the surface beneath; Pestle Puffball (Lycoperdon excipuliforme is taller and has a wrinkled base.
Pear-shaped Puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme)
Habitat & Ecology: saprophytic; clustered on coniferous or deciduous wood; fall
Fruiting body: golf-ball sized; round, flattish top that narrows to a substantial base/stem – pear-shaped
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Outer surface – covered in spines when young, usually falling off and becoming smooth at maturity; honey or pale brown; spore opening on apex
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Flesh – sold white, spongy when young; matures to olive brown spore dust
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Base – pinched off; white rhizomorphs
Look-a-likes: Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum) has a similar coloring but has a much tougher outer surface, more distinct scales at maturity, and is purple-black inside when mature; Gem-studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) also has spines but retains them for longer, is more white and grows on the ground.
