Puffball

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Puffball

A puffball is a member of any of a number of groups of fungus in the division Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota is one of two large phylum that, together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya within the Kingdom Fungi. More specifically the Basidiomycota include mushrooms, puffballs, stinkhorns, bracket fungi, other polypores, jelly fungi, boletes, cantharellus, Geastraceae, smut , common bunt, rust , mirror yeasts, and the...
. The puffballs were previously treated as a taxonomic group called the Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae, but they are now known to be a polyphyletic assemblage. Their distinguishing feature is that they have gasterothecia (gasteroid basidiocarps) in which the spores are produced internally; that is, the basidiocarp remains closed, or opens only after the spores have been released from the basidia.

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Encyclopedia

A puffball is a member of any of a number of groups of fungus in the division Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota

Spore

In biology, a spore is a reproduction structure that is adapted for biological dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions....
s of puffballs are statismospores rather than ballistospores, meaning they are not actively shot off the basidium. They are called puffballs because a cloud

Cloud

A cloud is a visible mass of Drop or frozen crystals floating in the Celestial body atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body....
of brown

Brown

Brown, when used as a general term, is a color that is a dark yellow, orange , or red, of low luminance relative to lighter or white colored objects....
dust-like spore

Spore

In biology, a spore is a reproduction structure that is adapted for biological dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions....
s is emitted when the mature fruiting body bursts. Puffballs and similar forms are thought to have evolved repeatedly (that is, in numerous independent events) from hymenomycetes by gasteromycetation, through secotioid

Secotioid

Secotioid fungi are an intermediate growth form between hymenomycetes and puffballs or hypogeous fungi where gasteromycetation has occurred. Secotioid lack the geotropism orientation of the hymenophore, and basidiospores are not forcibly discharged, thus they are statismospores....
stages. Thus Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae are now considered descriptive terms (more properly gasteroid or gasteromycetes) and not valid cladistic terms.

Puffballs encompass the genera Calvatia, Calbovista, Lycoperdon. The true puffballs, of the Lycoperdales, do not consist of a visible stalk (stem). Avoid the genus Scleroderma which have a young purple gleba

Gleba

Gleba is the fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of fungi such as the puffball or stinkhorn.The gleba is a solid mass of spores, generated within an enclosed area within the sporocarp....
. The stalked puffballs, of the lycoperdales, do have a stalk which supports the gleba. None of the stalked puffballs are edible as they are tough and woody mushrooms. The Hymenogastrales are the false puffballs. A gleba which is powdery on maturity is a feature of true puffballs, stalked puffballs and earthstars. False puffballs are hard like rock or brittle. All false puffballs are inedible, as they are tough and bitter to taste.

Puffballs were traditionally used in Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
for making ink

Ink

An ink is a liquid containing various pigments and/or dyes used for coloring a surface to produce an , writing, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush or quill....
by burning them vigorously, grinding them, then putting them in water and adding glue liquid and "a nye shing ma decoction", which, when pressed for a long time, made a very black dark substance which was used as ink.

Edibility and identification

While most puffballs are not poisonous, some often look similar to young agarics

Agaricales

The order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The Order has about 4,000 identified species, or one quarter of all known Agaricomycetes....
, especially the deadly Amanita

Amanita

The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own....
s, such as the Death Cap

Death cap

'Amanita phalloides' , commonly known as the 'death cap', is a poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Widely distributed across Europe, A....
mushroom. It is for this reason that all puffballs gathered in mushroom hunting

Mushroom hunting

Mushroom hunting, mushrooming, mushroom picking and similar terms describe the activity of hunter-gatherer mushrooms in the wild, typically for eating....
should be cut in half lengthwise. Young puffballs in the edible stage have undifferentiated white flesh within; the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined.

The giant puffball

Giant puffball

Calvatia gigantea, commonly known as the Giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests worldwide usually in late summer and autumn....
, Calvatia gigantea (earlier classified as Lycoperdon giganteum), reaches a foot (30 cm) or more in diameter, and is difficult to mistake for any other fungus. It has been estimated that a large specimen of this fungus when mature will produce around 7 × 10¹²

Orders of magnitude (numbers)

This list compares various sizes of positive numbers, including counts of things, dimensionless quantity and probability. Each number is given a name in the so called Long and short scales which is used in English speaking countries, as well as a name in the Long and short scales which is used in a series of countries that do not have English as th...
spores. If collected before spores have formed, while the flesh is still white, it may be cooked as slices fried

Frying

Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat, a technique that originated in ancient Old_Kingdom around 2500BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed....
in butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermentation cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, sauce making, and frying....
, with a strong earthy, mushroom

Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi that have a stem , a cap , and gills on the unde...
flavor. It can often be used in recipes that would ordinarily call for eggplant. It does not store well in a freezer - the entire freezer rapidly acquires a strong mushroom smell.

Not all true puffball mushrooms are without stalk. Some may also be stalked like the Podaxis pistillaris which is also called the False Shaggy Mane. On the other hand, there are a number of false puffballs that look similar to the true ones.

- Stalked puffballs

- True puffballs

- False puffballs

Classification

Major orders:

Lycoperdales
Lycoperdales

The Lycoperdales are a now outdated order of fungus. The order included some well-known types such as the giant puffball, the geastraceaes, and other tuberous fungi....
, Tulostomatales
Tulostomatales

Tulostomatales is an order of gasterocarpic Basidiomycota related to Agaricales. Common name: stalked puffballs....
, Nidulariales (related to Agaricales
Agaricales

The order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The Order has about 4,000 identified species, or one quarter of all known Agaricomycetes....
)

Basidiomycetes : Agaricales : Lycoperdaceae : Calvatia

Calvatia booniana -
Calvatia bovista (Handkea utriformis ) -
Calvatia craniiformis
Calvatia craniiformis

Calvatia craniiformis is a species of mushroom. It derives its name from the same latin root as cranium, looking very much like an animal's brain....
-
Calvatia cyathiformis -
Calvatia fumosa (Handkea fumosa ) -
Calvatia gigantea -
Calvatia lepidophora -
Calvatia rubroflava -
Calvatia sculpta -
Calvatia subcretacea (Handkea subcretacea) -ref name="California"/>

Basidiomycetes : Agaricales : Lycoperdaceae : Lycoperdon

Lycoperdon foetidum (Lycoperdon nigrescens)
Lycoperdon perlatum
Lycoperdon perlatum

The common puffball, gem-studded puffball or devil's snuff-box is a moderate sized puffball mushroom with a round fruiting body, tapering to a wide stalk....
-
Lycoperdon pulcherrimum -
Lycoperdon pusillum

Basidiomycetes : Agaricales : Lycoperdaceae : Morganella

Morganella pyriformis
Morganella pyriformis

Morganella pyriformis, commonly known as the pear-shaped puffball, is a saprobic fungus present throughout much of the world. Emerging in autumn, this puffball is common and abundant on both deciduous and coniferous decaying logs....

Basidiomycetes : Agaricales : Lycoperdaceae : Vascellum

Vascellum curtisii -
Vascellum pratense -

Geastrales
Geastrales

To find out more about the order Geastrales, select another rank from the taxobox.References...
and Phallales
Phallales

The Phallales are an Order of fungi that is more or less synonymous with the gomphoid-phalloid clade. At one time, the order was composed entirely of Stinkhorns , but has been expanded to include other families due to modern DNA analysis....
(related to Cantharellales
Cantharellales

The order Cantharellales is a group of fungi that includes the chanterelles, the tooth fungi, and some club fungi. Their hymenium consists of thick Gill -like folds, spines, or in some cases an almost smooth surface....
),

Basidiomycetes : Phallales : Geastraceae : Geastrum

Geastrum coronatum -
Geastrum fornicatum
Geastrum fornicatum

Geastrum fornicatum, commonly known as the "acrobatic earthstar" or the "arched earthstar", is a species of mushroom in the family Geastraceae....
-
Geastrum saccatum -

Sclerodermatales (related to Boletales
Boletales

The Boletales are an order of agaricomycetes, containing a large number of species with a diverse array of fruiting body types. The boletes are the best known members of this group, and until recently, the Boletales were thought to only contain boletes....
)

Basidiomycetes : Boletales : Sclerodermataceae : Scleroderma

Scleroderma areolatum
Scleroderma areolatum

This inedible species is a close cousin to the giant puffball. It can be distinguished from the giant puffball by cutting it in half; the puffball will have a solid, denser middle, with no signs of a developing cap mushroom....
-
Scleroderma bovista -
Scleroderma cepa
Scleroderma cepa

Scleroderma cepa is an Ectomychorrhizal fungus used as a soil inoculant in agriculture and horticulture....
-
Scleroderma citrinum
Scleroderma citrinum

Scleroderma citrinum, known as the "pigskin poison puffball," "common earthball," or "common earth ball," is the most common species of Scleroderma in the United Kingdom and occurs widely in woods, heathland and in short grass from Autumn to Winter....
-
Scleroderma meridionale -
Scleroderma michiganense -
Scleroderma polyrhizum -
Scleroderma septentrionale -

and various false-truffles (hypogaeic gasteromycetes) related to different hymenomycete orders.

Similarly, the true truffles (Tuberales) are gasteroid Ascomycota

Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 30,000 species....
. Their ascocarps are called tuberothecia.

Footnotes

External links

at AmericanMushrooms.com
, 9-second video of a puffball releasing spores on YouTube.