Spiky brain puffball

Description:

About 40mm in diameter, spherical, dark and light brown tesselated patterns with an over layer of small spikes.

Habitat:

Growing on a large, wet mossy eucalyptus log in very dense rain forest. National park.

Notes:

Apparently these were used for food by the indigenous people of the area. They are edible if the spores have not started to form. The smell was so strong that I couldn't imagine tasting it. There are 169 species in Aust. so I am yet to check for species.... stay tuned. http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn%3Alsid... Morganella pyriformis is an older synonym for Lycoperdon pyriforme. http://sportsmancreek.org/index.php/2010...