An agaricoid puffball, Podaxis pistillaris, the False Shaggy Mane

Puffball emitting spores

A puffball is a member of any of a number of groups of fungus in the division Basidiomycota. The puffballs were previously treated as a taxonomic group called the Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae, but they are now known to be a polyphyletic assemblage. Their distinguishing feature is that they have gasterothecia (gasteroid basidiocarps) in which the spores are produced internally; that is, the basidiocarp remains closed, or opens only after the spores have been released from the basidia. The spores of puffballs are statismospores rather than ballistospores, meaning they are not actively shot off the basidium. They are called puffballs because a cloud of brown dust-like spores is emitted when the mature fruiting body bursts. Puffballs and similar forms are thought to have evolved repeatedly (that is, in numerous independent events) from hymenomycetes by gasteromycetation, through secotioid stages. Thus Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae are now considered descriptive terms (more properly gasteroid or gasteromycetes) and not valid cladistic terms. Puffball is a supernatural drama, directed by Nicolas Roeg and due to be released in 2008. ... Download high resolution version (550x815, 107 KB)Podaxis pistillaris (False Shaggy Mane), an agaricoid gastromycete. ... Download high resolution version (550x815, 107 KB)Podaxis pistillaris (False Shaggy Mane), an agaricoid gastromycete. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Vessciaesp. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Vessciaesp. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota The Fungi (singular: fungus) are a large group of organisms ranked as a kingdom within the Domain Eukaryota. ... Subphyla/Classes Pucciniomycotina Ustilaginomycotina Agaricomycotina Incertae sedis (no phylum) Wallemiomycetes Entorrhizomycetes Basidiomycota is one of two large phyla, that together with the Ascomycota, comprise the subkingdom Dikarya, which were in general what were called the Higher Fungi within the Kingdom Fungi. ... In biology, a taxon is polyphyletic if it is descended from more than one root form (in Greek poly = many and phyletic = racial). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For other uses, see Cloud (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Brown (disambiguation). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Mushroom In fungi, the fruiting body (also known as sporocarp) is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. ... Secotioid mushrooms lack the geotropic orientation of the hymenophore, and basidiospores are not actively shot off, thus they are statismospores. ... Greek clados = branch) or phylogenetic systematics is a branch of biology that determines the evolutionary relationships of living things based on derived similarities. ...

Puffballs were traditionally used in Tibet for making ink by burning them vigorously, grinding them, then putting them in water and adding glue liquid and "a nye shing ma decoction", which, when pressed for a long time, made a very black dark substance which was used as an ink.^[1] This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... For other uses, see Ink (disambiguation). ...

Edibility and identification

Puffball mushrooms on sale at a market in England.

While most puffballs are not poisonous, and the poisonous puffballs are typically quite distinct from the non-poisonous ones, puffballs often look similar to young agarics, especially the deadly Amanitas, such as the Death Cap mushroom. It is for this reason that all puffballs gathered in mushroom hunting should be cut in half lengthwise. Young puffballs in the edible stage have undifferentiated white flesh within; the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,592 × 1,944 pixels, file size: 840 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of some large puffball mushrooms at a market in the UK. Picture taken by Nathan Lee. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,592 × 1,944 pixels, file size: 840 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture of some large puffball mushrooms at a market in the UK. Picture taken by Nathan Lee. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Species 600, see List of Amanita species Synonyms Aspidella The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. ... Binomial name Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ... Morphological characteristics of the caps of mushroom, such as those illustrated in the above chart, are essential for correct mushroom identification. ...

The giant puffball, Calvatia gigantea (earlier classified as Lycoperdon giganteum), reaches a foot (30 cm) or more in diameter, and is difficult to mistake for any other fungus. It has been estimated that a large specimen of this fungus when mature will produce around 7 × 10¹² spores. If collected before spores have formed, while the flesh is still white, it may be cooked as slices fried in butter, with a strong earthy, mushroom flavor. It can often be used in recipes that would ordinarily call for eggplant. It does not store well in a freezer - the entire freezer rapidly acquires a strong mushroom smell. Binomial name Calvatia gigantea (Batsch ex Pers. ... To help compare orders of magnitude this page lists dimensionless numbers between 1012 and 1015: See also Orders of magnitude (numbers) Categories: Stub | Orders of magnitude (numbers) ... Plantains frying in vegetable oil. ... For other uses, see Butter (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Mushroom (disambiguation). ... A freezer is a home appliance, usually found above the refrigerator that keeps foods frozen. ...

Classification

Major orders:

• Lycoperdales, Tulostomatales, Nidulariales (related to Agaricales),
• Geastrales and Phallales (related to Cantharellales),
• Sclerodermatales (related to Boletales)
• and various false-truffles (hypogaeic gasteromycetes) related to different hymenomycete orders.

Similarly, the true truffles (Tuberales) are gasteroid Ascomycota. Their ascocarps are called tuberothecia. Families Broomeiaceae Geastraceae Lycoperdaceae Mesophelliaceae Mycenastraceae The Lycoperdales are an order of fungi. ... Categories: Fungi stubs ... ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Categories: Fungi stubs ... Elegant Stinkhorn, Mutinus elegans. ... Families    Aphelariaceae    Botryobasidiaceae    Cantharellaceae    Clavulinaceae    Hydnaceae The order Cantharellales is a group of fungi that includes the chanterelles, the tooth fungi, and some club fungi. ... Families    Boletaceae    Coniophoraceae    Gomphidiaceae    Melanogastraceae    Gomphidiaceae    Gyroporaceae    Paxillaceae    Sclerodermataceae    Strobilomycetaceae Boletes, the best known members of the order Boletales are mushrooms characterized by holding their spores in a spongy mass of vertical tubes (pores) on the underside of the mushroom, instead of on gills (as are found in agarics). ... Subphyla/Classes Archaeascomycetes Euascomycetes Hemiascomycetes or Pezizomycotina Laboulbeniomycetes Eurotiomycetes Lecanoromycetes Leotiomycetes Pezizomycetes Sordariomycetes Dothideomycetes (and many more) Saccharomycotina Saccharomycetes Taphrinomycotina Neolectomycetes Pneumocystidomycetes Schizosaccharomycetes Taphrinomycetes The Ascomycota, formerly known as the Ascomycetae, or Ascomycetes, are a Division of Fungi, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi, which produce spores...

Footnotes

References

• Homobasidiomycetes at the Tree of Life Web Project

External links

• Puffballs at AmericanMushrooms.com
• "Puffballs", 9-second video of a puffball releasing spores on YouTube.