Calostoma fuhreri

Image © Teresa Lebel Reproduced by permission Common Name: None

Calostoma fuhreri, a puffball with short gelatinous stem (to 20 mm long) and globose mesoperidium (which contains the spore sac) up to 8 mm diam., mouth red. Outer layer not falling away in one piece (as in C. fuscum) but persisting as small back granules. In semi-arid areas (Little Desert). RARE.

• Pileus/cap

• Fruiting body

  Peridium. Brownish/black. 8-10mm diameter, 6-10mm high. Globose to obpyriform Exoperidium (outer layer) flakes off leaving a rough, scurfy surface. The endoperidium (inner layer) is dark grey/brown.

• Stipe/stem

  Hypogeous. 17-25mm x 5-10mm. Consists of gelatinous, brown mycelium made up of irregular 1mm loosely woven strands resembling seaweed. These tend to stick together when moist but separate on drying.

• Stoma

  Definite. Slightly raised, Slit-like, the raised slit slightly curved with 5-8 side slits, each terminating in an arc. Pinkish, becoming white and floury from the spores.

• Ring

• Smell

• Spores

  Spores. Elliptic, white, smooth. 22 - 25( x 10 - 11.5(, remarkably large for a puffball.

• Habitat

• Comments

  The fungus was first reported for South Australia in October 1998. It was also fruiting in May 1999. It forms dense black/ashy coloured patches amongst the shards of granite near the top of Mount Monster in the South-east of S.A. Each fruiting body produces white puffs of spores at the slightest touch. Edibility unknown. Too small to be of interest.

• References

  Crichton, G.A. & Willis, J.H. (1986). Victorian Naturalist 103: 4.

Distribution map

Last modified on 28 May 2001

Maintained by Mike McBain

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