Scleroderma

Notes

The earthballs. This genus is characterised by a hard, rind-like yellow or brownish spore case, with or without a stout sterile base, and opening through an irregular pore or sometimes in an irregular star-like manner. When immature the flesh inside the fruiting body is purple in colour, compared to the white-coloured flesh of puffballs.
Mycorrhizal with the tea-tree species and with exotic species such as oak.
There are 5 species reported for New Zealand and all should be regarded as poisonous.

 

NameImageGoogle
Images		NZFungi Entry

Scleroderma cepa
Mature fruit bodies open in a star-like manner and superficially resemble earth stars. Remnants of the grey spore mass are visible in the left fruit body, but most have been lost from the water-filled fruit body on the right.

Scleroderma bovista
Characterised by its relatively thin upper layer to the fruit body and apical pore.