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Pear-shaped puffball old

lycoperdon pyriforme

Photo by AlexKonig
Published on Project Noah
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51.4427, 6.06087

Field Notes

Description:

This puffball species is pear-shaped to nearly
globose and supported by a small sterile base attached to the
substrate by white mycelial strands (rhizomorphs). When
young this puffball is whitish and covered with tiny warts and
granules. With maturity the spore case (peridium) is yellow-
brown to reddish-brown and develops a pore-like mouth (the
ostiole) at the apex allowing spores to be "puffed out" when
the outer case is disturbed by raindrops or twigs striking it.
The spore producing internal tissue (gleba) is moist and white
at first, turning olive-brown and powdery when mature.
( http://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/puffball%20and%20cushion/spe… )

Habitat:

location: North America, Europe
edibility: Edible
fungus colour: White to cream, Grey to beige
normal size: Less than 5cm
cap type: Other
stem type: Lateral, rudimentary or absent
spore colour: Light to dark brown
habitat: Grows on wood
( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~6358.asp )
----( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/morganella_pyriformis.html )

Notes:

Edibility: Edible.
Comments: This species is edible only when the internal spore
tissue (gleba) is completely white and uniform in appearance.
Care must be taken not to confuse puffballs with young stages
of Amanita species which are enclosed by a universal veil.
A longitudinal section of a young Amanita will reveal some
tissue differentiation into gills. Gills never occur in puffballs

----- on the picture 4 ,do you see a cloud of spores. that's how he spreads his spores, if something/someone comes on it, or rain splashed on it, the fungus released a load spores, at picture 3 is a close up of the hole and the sporepillow inside.

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Photographed
PublishedJanuary 22, 2012

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