Mycenastrum: taxon details and analytics

Domain
Kingdom
Fungi
Phylum
Basidiomycota
Class
Agaricomycetes
Order
Agaricales
Family
Lycoperdaceae
Genus
Mycenastrum
Species
Scientific Name
Mycenastrum

Summary description from Wikipedia:

Mycenastrum

Mycenastrum is a fungal genus in the family Agaricaceae. The genus is monotypic, containing one widely distributed species, Mycenastrum corium, known by various common names: the giant pasture puffball, leathery puffball, or tough puffball.

The roughly spherical to turnip-shaped puffball-like fruit bodies grow to a diameter of 6–24 cm (2–9 in). Initially covered by a thick, felted, whitish layer, the puffballs develop a characteristic checkered skin (peridium) in age. As the spores mature, the gleba turns first yellowish then purplish brown. Spores are released when the peridium eventually splits open into irregularly shaped sections. Microscopically, the gleba consists of spherical, dark brown spores with rounded bumps on their surfaces, and capillitia—masses of intricately branched fibers—that form long thornlike spines.

The puffball grows on or in the ground in prairie or desert habitats. Although widely distributed, it is not commonly encountered. It is a threatened species in Europe. When the internal spore mass (the gleba) is firm and white, the puffball is edible, although some individuals may suffer mild gastrointestinal symptoms after eating it.

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Mycenastrum in languages:

Czech
škárka
Dutch
Lederster
Finnish
nahkapallot
Hebrew
דּוּרָנִית
Lithuanian
Žvaigždėgrybis

Images from inaturalist.org observations:

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Mycenastrum
©cinclosoma, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©spacedoutside, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©spacedoutside, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©spacedoutside, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©spacedoutside, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©José Miguel Contreras Fernández, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©vsepulveda, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Oscar Alejandro Morales Juárez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Mycenastrum
©Oscar Alejandro Morales Juárez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Mycenastrum
©Oscar Alejandro Morales Juárez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)
Mycenastrum
©Nicolas Olejnik, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Jorge H. Valdez, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Elena Shnayder, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Elena Shnayder, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Coti Marín R., some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Coti Marín R., some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Coti Marín R., some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Nicole Arcaya, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
Mycenastrum
©Nicole Arcaya, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)