Common earthball
Scleroderma citrinum · 橘黄硬皮马勃
Common硬皮马勃科⚠️ Poisonous
Reference sources list this as a poisonous mushroom.
The same species can be described differently across regions and stages of maturity, and countless look-alike species cannot be told apart by eye. Never use the information on this page to judge whether a real mushroom is safe to eat.
How to Tell
- Outer skin thick and hard, yellowish brown, surface cracked into scales
- Interior purplish black when cut, unlike the pure white interior of true puffballs
- Stemless, sitting directly on the ground
ID notes are compiled by AI from public sources, not reviewed by a mycologist, for learning only — never a basis for foraging.
Basics
- Family
- 硬皮马勃科
- Hymenium
- Gleba
- Grows On
- Soil
- How Big
- 3–10 cm (overall size)
- Encounter Rate
- Common
- Habitat
- Acid soil and mossy ground
Easily Confused With
Common puffballCommon puffball has a thin, soft white skin with small spines and a white interior; earthball has a thick, hard yellow-brown skin and purple-black interior.
Giant puffballGiant puffball is huge, pure white and smooth; earthball is small, yellow-brown and cracked.
DyeballDyeball has a root-like stem and cuts open to show pea-like chambers; earthball has no stem and a uniformly purple-black interior.Fun Fact
Cutting one open is the key test: a true puffball's interior is pure white and uniform when young, while the earthball's is a purplish-black mass of spores, and its skin is much thicker and tougher.
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