Puffballs & the like

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At maturity, the fruitbodies of the fungi in this group generally contain prodigious quantities of powdery spores. The fruitbodies may be spherical to pear-shaped or somewhat columnar in shape and range from less than a centimetre to over 30 centimetres in extent. Spores are mostly some shade of brown, from pale yellow-brown to dark brown, depending on species.

Almost all species produce their fruitbodies on the ground, a few produce them on on wood.

In the following hints you see examples of useful identification features and a few of the more commonly seen genera in which at least some species (not necessarily all) show those features.

Hints

Spore mass lilac: Calvatia.

Fruitbody over 30 centimetres in diameter: Calvatia.

Warning

If you have a flattish fruitbody, with purplish-black powdery spores inside a thin, brittle crust - check the slime mould Fuligo septica.

Puffballs & the like

Simple spore sac, with an apical hole [puffballs]

Spore sac on a star-like base [earthstars]

Fruitbody thick walled, splitting from the top

Fruitbody walls break away to expose the spores

Other puffballs, etc (& the unknowns)

Featured sightings

Geastrum sp. (genus) (An earthstar) at Paddys River, ACT - 21 Jun 2020 by AaronClausen

Geastrum tenuipes (An earthstar) at Burra, NSW - 8 Jul 2017 by Woowoolahra

Geastrum lageniforme s.l. at Cotter River, ACT - 25 May 2017 by KenT

Latest sightings

Unverified Puffball & the like at Aranda, ACT - Yesterday by Jennybach

Geastrum sp. (genus) (An earthstar) at Paddys River, ACT - 1 May 2025 by TimL

Geastrum sp. (genus) (An earthstar) at Karabar, NSW - 4 May 2025 by Clarel

Geastrum sp. (genus) (An earthstar) at Yarralumla, ACT - 1 May 2025 by Jennybach

Lycoperdon sp. at Russell, ACT - 30 Apr 2025 by Hejor1

Unverified Simple spore sac, with an apical hole [puffballs] at Phillip, ACT - 28 Apr 2025 by shube

Geastrum sp. (genus) (An earthstar) at Kambah, ACT - 23 Apr 2025 by debhart

Astraeus hygrometricus at Reid, ACT - 22 Apr 2025 by Pirom

Pisolithus sp. (Pisolithus) at Denman Prospect, ACT - 18 Apr 2025 by Jennybach

Pisolithus sp. (Pisolithus) at Higgins, ACT - 15 Apr 2025 by Jennybach

Pisolithus sp. (Pisolithus) at Queanbeyan West, NSW - 9 Apr 2025 by Paul4K

Lycoperdon sp. at Gooandra, NSW - 10 Apr 2025 by Jennybach

Lycoperdon sp. (Puffball) at Gooandra, NSW - 10 Apr 2025 by Jennybach

Calvatia sp. (a puffball ) at Anglers Reach, NSW - 9 Apr 2025 by Jennybach

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Discussion

Heinol wrote:

9 Apr 2025

This is the sterile base - all that is left after the skin on the upper part has broken up and disappeared, along with all the powdery spores that were there initially.

Calvatia cyathiformis

Clarel wrote:

23 Feb 2025

Thanks very much Teresa, I hadn’t realised the second photo hadn’t loaded.

Scleroderma sp.

Teresa wrote:

23 Feb 2025

This appears to be growing in earth but we need to see more detail of the stem or fine thread connecting it; perhaps you could dig it up and get a few more images to add in identification

Scleroderma sp.

Teresa wrote:

21 Feb 2025

Bit of a guess, Lycoperdon sp - can't see enough of the base

Lycoperdon sp.

Heino1 wrote:

29 Jan 2025

Perhaps akin to Bovista plumbea.

Bovista