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Desert Shaggy Mane (Young)
Podaxis pistillaris
33.552, -112.17
Field Notes
Description:
This kind of puffball-ish mushroom splits open when it reaches maturity so that the spores might be released into the air. It is found after days of heavy rain in the Sonoran Desert in many urban settings, where the ground has been disturbed. They are not aliens.
Habitat:
I usually find them on places where this kind of rock has been introduced to decorate sidewalks with a kind of "desert" feel or ambience. Officially recorded in: The United States (1937), South Africa (1948), Congo (1962), Israel (1963, 1973), Africa (1964), Argentina (1971), Iran (1977), Afghanistan (1977), Australia (1981), Brazil (2002), and Pakistan (2007). (Courtesy of http://healing-mushrooms.net/archives/podaxis-pistillaris.html)
Notes:
Their size at maturity varies; this one has reached it and has a length of about 10 - 15 centimeters while I have seen others reach the 20 - 25 range upon maturing (the last photo is of a nearby young P. pistillaris). Their odd appearance somewhat helps them spread; a little kid (myself included) would happen to see one and become instantly drawn to kick it. As a positive result, the spores are dispersed in a new area, and the cycle continues. For a short review of the many uses of this widespread fungus, see the notes to my first spotting of this species -- http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7320254
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