Scleroderma citrinum (Earthball)

Scleroderma citrinum Pers.

Scleroderma aurantium (Vaill.)

Scleroderma vulgare Horn.

Earthball, tough-skinned puffball, pigskin poison puffball, common earthball

Parents	Unknown	Genus is not in the current taxonomy
Genus	Scleroderma	From the Greek scler-, “hard,” and -derma, “skin,” for the thick outer rind
Species	citrinum	Refers to the citrine (lemon-yellow) colour of the skins of most common earthballs

About plant names...

Earthballs have recently been discovered to be relatives of boletes, a large group of mushrooms whose cap undersides resemble foam rubber, filled underneath with hollow spore-filled tubes. The name earthball is preferred by some to distinguish these from similar-appearing edible puffballs, but the term puffballs applies to both. They prefer well-drained, sandy soil.

Identification: Fruiting bodies are ¾-4" (2-10 cm) across. They are round or flattened, with a scaly, hard outer rind. They don’t sit on a stalk, but are attached instead by a whitish sheet of mycelium. The fruiting body is white at first, becoming cream-colored or yellow and brownish or greenish at time goes on. Coarse, irregularly shaped scales appear as well. When you cut one in half, it is filled with a spore mass that is white. It quickly begins to darken, becoming dark purple to purple-black, frm the center outwards. When the fruits mature, the skin ruptures, leaving a large opening that looks as if it exploded. Spores are distributed by wind and rain. The empty cases persist for long periods, even all winter.

Edibility: Mildly poisonous. Skull & Crossbones Causes gastrointestinal distress, and sometimes lacrimation, rhinitis, and conjuctivitis.

Similar species: Earthballs are similar in appearance to puffballs (Lycoperdon), but puffballs have a single opening in the top, through which spores are released. Earthballs, by contrast, just rupture, leaving a ragged opening. Earthballs have a tough outer rind, while puffballs are spongy. Lycoperdon perlatum is club-shaped, and has a small stipe.

Online References:

Scleroderma citrinum on mushroomexpert.com

Scleroderma citrinum on www.first-nature.com

9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Scleroderma citrinum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

6/15/2007 · Maine · By Kathleen Williamson ID is uncertain

Cut to show spore mass. · 9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hampshire
≈ 3 × 3" (8.4 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

9/23/2007
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

9/23/2007
≈ 14 × 9" (34 × 23 cm)