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Scleroderma citrinum Scleroderma citrinum Pers. Scleroderma aurantium (Vaill.) Scleroderma vulgare Horn. Earthball, Tough-skinned Puffball, Pigskin Poison Puffball, Common Earthball
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. 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
Scleroderma citrinum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 12 Oct 2018.
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9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
6/15/2007 · ME · By Kathleen Williamson
Cut to show spore mass. · 9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, MA
9/23/2007
9/23/2007
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Causes gastrointestinal distress,
and sometimes lacrimation, rhinitis, and conjuctivitis.
ID is uncertain 
