Scleroderma verrucosum

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***Scleroderma verrucosum*** is a basidiomycete fungus and a member of the genus *Scleroderma*, or "earth balls". First described scientifically in 1791, the species has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in the ground in nutrient-rich, sandy soils.

## Taxonomy

The species was first described by Pierre Bulliard in 1791 as *Lycoperdon verrucosum*. Christian Hendrik Persoon transferred it to the genus *Scleroderma* in 1801. The specific epithet *verrucosum* means "warted".

## Description

The fruit body is roughly spherical with a somewhat flattened top, and has a thick, stem-like base; it attains a diameter of Template:Convert. Its color is ochre or dingy brown, and the surface is covered with scaly warts that eventually slough off to leave a relatively smooth surface. The thin flesh underneath the peridium stains pink to red when the fruit body is cut open. The peridium (outer skin) is thin a fragile when dry, and cracks irregularly to form a large opening. The internal spore-bearing tissue, the gleba, is initially white, but becomes light brown and powdery after the spores mature. The spores are spherical, and covered with minute warts or spines, and measure about 12 μm in diameter.

The fruit bodies are edible when the gleba is still firm and white.
On the other hand, S. verrucosum appears to cause poisoning symptoms similar to Scleroderma citrinum at least in some people, so it cannot be recommended for consumption.

## Habitat and distribution

*Scleroderma verrucosum* is a mycorrhizal species. Fruit bodies grow in the soil in nutrient-rich, sandy soil, often in deciduous forests. The species has been found in Africa, Asia (China and India), Australia, Europe, North America (including Hawaii), and South America.

The species was featured on a Paraguayan postage stamp in 1985.

## See also

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* List of *Scleroderma* species

## References

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Bulliard 1791`
2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `urlMycoBank: Scleroderma verrucosum`
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Arora 1986`
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Dickinson 1982`
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Hemmes 2002`
6. ↑ Gemeiner Kartoffelbovist. In: Pilzdatenbank des Giftnotrufs München. Retrieved, 13 January 2014.
7. ↑ Rosemarie Kießling: Eine Vergiftung mit Scleroderma Verrucosum (Bull.) Pers. 1801. Website der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Mykologie. Retrieved, 13 January 2014.
8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Ammirati 2009`
9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Sanon 1997`
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Jian-Zong 2003`
11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `De 2007`
12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Trierveiler-Pereira 2009`
13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Moss 1998`

## External links

* Template:IndexFungorum

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