Scleroderma citrinum Pers.

Earthball, tough-skinned puffball, pigskin poison puffball, common earthball

About plant names...

Earthballs have recently been discovered to be relatives of boletes, a large group of mushrooms whose cap undersides resemble foam rubber, filled underneath with hollow spore-filled tubes. The name earthball is preferred by some to distinguish these from similar-appearing edible puffballs, but the term puffballs applies to both. They prefer well-drained, sandy soil.

Identification: Fruiting bodies are ¾-4" (2-10 cm) across. They are round or flattened, with a scaly, hard outer rind. They don’t sit on a stalk, but are attached instead by a whitish sheet of mycelium. The fruiting body is white at first, becoming cream-colored or yellow and brownish or greenish at time goes on. Coarse, irregularly shaped scales appear as well. When you cut one in half, it is filled with a spore mass that is white. It quickly begins to darken, becoming dark purple to purple-black, from the center outwards. When the fruits mature, the skin ruptures, leaving a large opening that looks as if it exploded. Spores are distributed by wind and rain. The empty cases persist for long periods, even all winter.

Edibility: Mildly poisonous. Causes gastrointestinal distress, and sometimes lacrimation, rhinitis, and conjuctivitis.

Similar species: Earthballs are similar in appearance to puffballs (Lycoperdon), but puffballs have a single opening in the top, through which spores are released. Earthballs, by contrast, just rupture, leaving a ragged opening. Earthballs have a tough outer rind, while puffballs are spongy. Lycoperdon perlatum is club-shaped, and has a small stipe.

Online References:

Mushroomexpert.com

Www.first-nature.com

9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

6/15/2007 · Maine · By Kathleen Williamson ID is uncertain

Scleroderma citrinum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

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Cut to show spore mass. · 9/27/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

7/22/2021 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3 × 3" (8.3 × 7.5 cm) ID is uncertain

9/1/2021 · Crystal Spring Farm Main Loop, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 3 × 2½" (8.2 × 6.5 cm)

10/6/2021 · Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

9/4/2020 · Widgeon Cove Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3 × 3" (8.4 × 7.8 cm)

9/7/2013 · Beech Hill, Dublin, New Hamp­shire
≈ 3½ × 3" (9 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

9/23/2007
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

9/23/2007
≈ 14 × 9" (34 × 23 cm)

10/6/2021 · Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)