Scleroderma citrinum Pers.

Filed As

Gasteroid agarics
Scleroderma citrinum Pers.

Collector(s)

J. E. Walsh 130, 27 Sep 2007

Location

United States of America. Missouri. Saint Louis Co. Fenton. 660 Green Hedge Drive.

Habitat

lawn. Moisture conditions: dry. soil - firm/clay.

Description

spore length: 8 - 12 microns; spore width: 8 - 12 microns; spore shape: round; spore texture: ordamented; spore color: blackish brown; spore print color: purplish brown to black. Specimens of this small, hard, walnut-sized puffball have grown in my yard every year since 1996. They appear in late summer, usually after a good soaking rain, sometimes singly, but usually in loose clusters. They prefer dry grassy areas. When cut in half, the jet-black interior and the millimeter thick, tough outer skin is apparent. 1996- Under a hawthorne tree. 1997-1998 - Under the hawthorne tree. 1999- In merigold garden under a mailbox. 2002-2004- In English Ivy patch along sidewalk. 2005-2006- In grassy area along shady north side of house. 2007- Grassy area in snap-dragon garden. Only three specimens. It is very difficult to obtain study spores from this species. Spores are round and ornamented under microscope. Conspicuous ''bumps'' are all over the surface. Spores are blackish brown. A.k.a. Pigskin poison puffball. DNA analysis in 2015 returned Scleroderma laeve, but the macro and micro information along with Dr. Andrew Methven's close study of the actual voucher specimen confirmed this specimen is Scleroderma citrinum. Dr. Methven states that Scleroderma laeve is restricted to western North America (see annotations).

Identifiers

NY Barcode: 03817632

Occurrence ID: 38592c84-0cae-48ec-baae-6fc6424ca658

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