Common Puffball

Description:

The fruit body ranges in shape from pear-like with a flattened top, to nearly spherical, and reaches dimensions of 1.5 to 6 cm (0.6 to 2.4 in) wide by 3 to 7 cm (1.2 to 2.8 in) tall. It has a stem-like base. The outer surface of the fruit body (the exoperidium) is covered in short cone-shaped spines that are interspersed with granular warts. The spines, which are whitish, gray, or brown, can be easily rubbed off, and leave reticulate pock marks or scars after they are removed.[11] The base of the puffball is thick, and has internal chambers. It is initially white, but turns yellow, olive, or brownish in age.[11] The reticulate pattern resulting from the rubbed-off spines is less evident on the base.[15] In maturity, the exoperidium at the top of the puffball sloughs away, revealing a pre-formed hole (ostiole) in the endoperidium, through which the spores can escape.[16] In young puffballs, the internal contents, the gleba, is white and firm, but turns brown and powdery as the spores mature.[11] The gleba contains minute chambers that are lined with hymenium (the fertile, spore-bearing tissue); the chambers collapse when the spores mature.[16] Mature puffballs release their powdery spores through the ostiole when they are compressed by touch or falling raindrops.

Habitat:

The puffball grows in fields, gardens, and along roadsides, as well as in grassy clearings in woods.

Notes:

Spotted in the S.Joâo Hospital gardens,a place where i never imagined that could sustein such a amazing variety of fungis and trees,beautiful in this season