Earthball

Scleroderma

The Earthball is a round, bumpy mushroom that grows in the ground. It’s best to admire it from a distance!

Habitat: Grassy areas

Appearance

The Earthball is a firm, round fungus, often appearing yellowish-brown with a tough, warty or scaly outer skin. Unlike true puffballs, it has no opening, and when cut open, its inside is dark purplish-black, not white. It can look like a small ball in the grass.

KingdomFungiPhylumBasidiomycotaClassAgaricomycetesOrderBoletalesFamilySclerodermataceaeGenusScleroderma

Earthball

Interesting facts

Cut an Earthball in half to find a dark, purplish-black inside, like marbled chocolate!

Earthballs can sometimes smell like a raw potato, especially when freshly picked!

They are not true puffballs! Puffballs are usually white inside and split differently.

They don't have gills like typical mushrooms; they are solid inside when young!

Special abilities

Earthball has a thick, leathery skin that helps protect its developing spores from hungry critters and harsh weather.

Earthball can burst open when mature, releasing a puff of dark, dusty spores that helps it spread far and wide.

Earthball can grow its root-like threads around tree roots, helping both the fungus and the tree get nutrients.

Measurements & details

Height: 2-8 cm
Edibility: poisonous
Cap Diameter: 2-10 cm
Growth Substrate: soil
Season: Summer, Fall
Spore Color: Dark brown

Ecological connections

symbiotic with

Common Oak

Quercus robur

Exchanges nutrients with oak tree roots for mutual growth.

symbiotic with

Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris

Forms helpful partnerships with pine tree roots.

symbiotic with

European Beech

Fagus sylvatica

Shares resources with beech trees through underground networks.

Traits

Spore Producing

Discover how some plants and fungi create tiny little "seeds" called spores to help them grow new life! These tiny particles drift in the air, spreading new generations far and wide.