How to identify Common Earthball

To correctly identify Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The outer surface (peridium) is thick, firm, and yellowish-brown, often with irregular cracks or scales. It bruises reddish-brown when handled.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   No gills are present.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   There is no true stem, but the base may have mycelial cords attaching it to the soil.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The internal flesh (gleba) is white when young, becoming dark purplish-brown with white marbling as it matures. Eventually, the gleba becomes a powdery mass of spores.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   The fruiting body is roughly spherical or potato-shaped, typically 2–6 cm (1–2.5 in) in diameter, and lacks a stem. It is attached to the substrate by mycelial cords.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   It grows in various types of woodlands, often in sandy or acidic soils, in late summer and autumn. It can be found under both deciduous and coniferous trees.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Thick, firm, yellowish-brown, often with irregular cracks or scales

Growth Form

Puffball-like

Spore Print

Dark purplish-brown

Body color

Yellowish-brown

Odor

Earthy

Flesh bruises

Reddish-brown

Height

2-6 cm

Cap Diameter

2-6 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: No gills
• Stem shape: Absent
• Stem surface: N/A
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: N/A

Explore Common Earthball