Puffball or Earthball?

[adampembs]

I have no good literature on earthballs/puffballs, referring to my Collins (Sterry & Hughes), the best match I can see is Schleroderma cepa. It has a rudimentary stalk. Growing in grass, quite close to a pine, diameter 5.5cm. Any ideas? I guess I could wait until the spores erupt.

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[Chris Yeates]

Hi Adam

unless you are certain you have Scleroderma citrinum – which I wouldn’t be in this case! as you suggest the best approach is to check the spores, the first thing being whether the ornament is of spines or of a raised reticulum . . . .

cheers

Chris

PS check you emails . . .

[adampembs]

Thanks Chris, I’ll check spores when they crack open.

[adampembs]

Now at maturity. (Really tempting to get a microscope camera so I can do image stacking with spores like these!)

Seems a good fit for S.bovista. Spores are 10-13µm, the peridium is approx 1mm thick. Spores are very spiny many (but not all) with a complete reticulum. Clamps present.

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[marksteer]

If you have access to BMS Field Mycology there is a good article on Scleroderma Vol 10 (4) pp122 – 127 Malcolm Storey. Only 5 (or maybe 6) species in UK so in theory not a difficult Genus!

I regularly find S.citrinum and S.areolatum close to each other in Brynna Woods. A quick test to distinguish is to poke them – S.citrinum is less yielding than S.areolatum (because of the thickness of the peridium). This is not infallible!

[Flaxton]

I think with those spores and the thin peridium S bovista looks good.

Mal

[adampembs]

Thanks, Mal.

edit: just seen it’s a county first for Pembrokeshire.

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