Puffball & the like species

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Heino1  |  Csteele4  |  KenT  |  Pam  |  CanberraFungiGroup

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Overview

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 (https://canberra.naturemapr.org/Community/Species/Sightings/6094).

25 species

Astraeus hygrometricus (Barometer Earthstar)

Astraeus hygrometricus
Astraeus hygrometricus
Astraeus hygrometricus

Bovista (A puffball)

Bovista
Bovista
Bovista

Bovista sp. (A puffball)

Calostoma fuscum (Common Prettymouth)

Calostoma fuscum
Calostoma fuscum
Calostoma fuscum

Calvatia sp. (a puffball )

Calvatia sp.
Calvatia sp.
Calvatia sp.

Geastrum sp. (Geastrum sp.)

Geastrum sp.
Geastrum sp.
Geastrum sp.

Geastrum tenuipes (An earthstar)

Geastrum tenuipes
Geastrum tenuipes
Geastrum tenuipes

Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem Studded Puffball)

Lycoperdon perlatum
Lycoperdon perlatum
Lycoperdon perlatum

Lycoperdon pratense (Meadow Puffball)

Lycoperdon subincarnatum (Ruddy Puffball)

Lycoperdon subincarnatum

Pisolithus marmoratus (Horse Dung Fungus)

Pisolithus marmoratus
Pisolithus marmoratus
Pisolithus marmoratus

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2,148,925 sightings of 19,884 species in 6,408 locations from 11,278 contributors
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