Puffball & the like species

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The following moderators provide local knowledge and expertise for Puffballs & the like:

Teresa  |  Heino1

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Overview

At maturity, the fruitbodies of the fungi in this group generally contain prodigious quantities of powdery spores. The fruitbodies may be spherical to pear-shaped or somewhat columnar in shape and range from less than a centimetre to over 30 centimetres in extent. Spores are mostly some shade of brown, from pale yellow-brown to dark brown, depending on species.

 

Almost all species produce their fruitbodies on the ground, a few produce them on on wood.

 

In the following hints you see examples of useful identification features and a few of the more commonly seen genera in which at least some species (not necessarily all) show those features.

 

Hints

Spore mass lilac: Calvatia.

Fruitbody over 30 centimetres in diameter: Calvatia.

 

Warning

If you have a flattish fruitbody, with purplish-black powdery spores inside a thin, brittle crust - check the slime mould Fuligo septica.

16 species

Astraeus hygrometricus (Barometer Earthstar)

Astraeus hygrometricus
Astraeus hygrometricus
Astraeus hygrometricus

Bovista brunnea (A puffball)

Bovista brunnea
Bovista brunnea
Bovista brunnea

Bovista sp. (A puffball)

Calostoma fuscum (Common Prettymouth)

Calostoma fuscum
Calostoma fuscum
Calostoma fuscum

Calvatia sp. (a puffball )

Calvatia sp.
Calvatia sp.
Calvatia sp.

Geastrum sp. (Geastrum sp.)

Geastrum sp.
Geastrum sp.
Geastrum sp.

Geastrum tenuipes (An earthstar)

Geastrum tenuipes
Geastrum tenuipes
Geastrum tenuipes

Geastrum triplex (Collared Earth Star)

Geastrum triplex
Geastrum triplex
Geastrum triplex

Lycoperdon pratense (Meadow Puffball)

Pisolithus marmoratus (Horse Dung Fungus)

Pisolithus marmoratus
Pisolithus marmoratus
Pisolithus marmoratus

Pisolithus sp. (Pisolithus)

Pisolithus sp.
Pisolithus sp.
Pisolithus sp.

Scleroderma cepa (Scleroderma cepa)

Scleroderma sp. (Scleroderma)

Scleroderma sp.
Scleroderma sp.
Scleroderma sp.

Tulostoma (Stalkball)

Tulostoma
Tulostoma
Tulostoma
1,889,718 sightings of 20,971 species in 9,251 locations from 12,820 contributors
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