Common Edible Mushrooms

PUFFBALLS
formis are a deep purple-brown, this being the chief distinguishing
feature between them.
Both species are good to eat, of delicate, crumbly texture and
delicious flavor. If one finds any at all he is likely to find several,
because they grow in scattered colonies, and this habit and their
excellent flavor make them well worth knowing.
GENUS Scleroderma
Poisonous; SCLERODERMA VULGARE
This puffball is not at all rare in some wooded regions but is
seldom found because it usually grows an inch or more beneath
the surface of the ground and is exposed only by erosion, the
burrowing of animals, or, more often, the rooting of pigs. Sometimes,
however, it does push up above the surface at maturity. It
is said to be poisonous, and evidence in support of this fact was
obtained by a man who some years ago had found some and
asked a professional mycologist about their edibility. He was told
that they were suspected of being poisonous and should not be
eaten. Two weeks later he called again, to inform the mycologist
that he was certain they were poisonous because he had eaten
some and consequently had been in the hospital for a week!
The fruit bodies are nearly spherical, about the size of a golf
ball, white or pale yellow at first, but later leathery brown. A
dense clump of root-like mycelium is usually attached to the
base. The wall is strong and leathery, about 1/8 inch thick, much
thicker than that of other puffballs, and the spore mass is almost
black. The thick wall and dark purple or black interior of even
young specimens make it so easy to recognize that there is no
danger of confusing it with the edible puffballs that grow on the
surface of the ground.
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