A large, thick-skinned earthball that develops half-buried in hard or sandy ground, then splits into four to eight thick rays that curl back like a crude star, exposing a dark brown spore mass. It often appears in lawns, roadsides and bare ground. Like other earthballs it should be treated as poisonous.
Treat as poisonous. Scleroderma species contain poorly understood toxins; eating them can cause vomiting and diarrhea, possibly with neurological symptoms (Wikipedia). Not a food.
Never eat a wild mushroom based on a web page — confirm with an expert.
Habitat
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Dry sandy or hard clay soils, gravel, lawns and bare ground; alone, scattered or clustered. Late summer and fall; old blackened rays persist into winter. Probably saprobic, though it formed mycorrhizae with Monterey pine in experiments.
Distribution
Widespread in North America, including Mexico; also recorded from Africa, Asia (China, Japan), Europe, Brazil and Oceania (Wikipedia).
Characteristics
Fruitbody: 4-15 cm wide before opening, round to flattened or lobed, more than half buried, anchored by rhizomorphs; expands to 12-30 cm when open. Peridium: 0.3-1 cm thick, rough and cracked, white becoming yellowish to light brown; splits into 4-8 rays. Gleba: firm and light gray when young, becoming dark brown and powdery. Spores: spherical, partly reticulate, 6-11 um. Chemical reaction: KOH negative to slightly yellow on the peridium (Wikipedia).
