A large, stemless puffball of pastures and lawns with a thick, tough, leathery inner skin that splits into star-like segments at maturity. The interior is white and firm when young, turning olive to dark purplish brown and powdery. Under the microscope its thick-walled capillitial threads are covered with spines, a distinctive feature of the genus.
Edible only while the interior is pure white and firm; some people get mild gastrointestinal symptoms (Wikipedia cites a Mexican case in which two of five diners were affected). Slice every puffball top to bottom: poisonous earthballs (Scleroderma) are firm and purple-black inside, and a young Amanita egg shows the outline of a cap, gills and stem. Discard any with yellowing or darkening flesh.
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Habitat
Saprobic; alone or in groups in grassy places, especially manure-rich meadows and pastures, and in lawns; summer and fall.
Distribution
Nearly worldwide, with records from North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, where it is threatened (listed as vulnerable on Poland's regional red list). In North America it is fairly common in the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the West, and occasional in the East.
Characteristics
Fruit body: usually 6-15 cm across (reported to 20 cm or more), round to egg- or pear-shaped, without a stem or sterile base. Peridium: outer layer whitish, soft and felted, cracking and peeling away to expose a tough, leathery, brownish inner layer about 2 mm thick, which splits irregularly into star-like segments. Gleba: white and firm when young, then greenish yellow, finally dark olive to purplish brown and powdery. Capillitium: thick-walled threads 10-30 um wide, covered with spines and warts. Spores: 8-12 um, round, with spines up to 2 um long (MushroomExpert.com).
