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Gem-studded puffball
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| Photo Information |
Copyright: Gert Paassen (Gert-Paassen)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1198 W: 2 N: 4517]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (13672) |
| Genre: Fungi |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2007-10-13 |
| Categories: Fungi |
| Exposure: f/10.0 |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-09-23 21:30 |
| Viewed: 947 |
| Points: 28 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note [Dutch] |
Today a common fungi in europe.
They were all in an furthe stadium.
Latin name - Lycoperdon perlatum
A very bad song by Madonna is improved immeasurably if you walk through the woods singing:
"Lycoperdon, puffed for the very first time . . ."
Probably the most common woodland puffball in North America, Lycoperdon perlatum is widely distributed and easily recognized, despite the fact that it is very variable in appearance. It grows on the ground, which helps separate it from Morganella pyriformis, which grows on wood. It has a fairly substantial stem, which makes the shape of the mushroom rather like an inverted pear. And, when young and fresh, it is covered with tiny spines. The spines often rub off by maturity, but they usually leave little scars where they were attached.
Like many other puffballs, Lycoperdon perlatum is edible when young and fresh. The flesh of young specimens is white and fairly firm; do not eat any specimens in which the flesh has begun to turn yellow or brownish.
Description:
Ecology: Saprobic; growing alone, scattered, gregariously, or in clusters; in woods under hardwoods or conifers, but also common along roadsides and in urban settings; rarely on very decayed wood; summer and fall in temperate regions, almost year-round in California and along the Gulf Coast; very widely distributed and common.
Fruiting body: Shaped like an inverted pear, with a fairly prominent stem and a roundish to flattened top; 2.5-7 cm wide; 3-7.5 cm high; dry; covered with white spines when young and fresh, but the spines often falling away by maturity and leaving scars on the surface; by maturity developing a central rupture through which spores are liberated by rain drops and wind currents; white, becoming discolored and eventually sometimes brownish; with a white, fleshy interior at first; later with yellowish to olive granular flesh and eventually filled with brownish spore dust.
Microscopic Features: Spores 3.5-4.5 µ; round; minutely spiny. Capillitial threads olive in KOH; 3-7 µ wide; thick-walled; flexuous. The thick walls and olive color in KOH designate a "true" capillitum; compare with the "paracapillitium" of Vascellum curtisii, which has thin-walled and colorless threads.
The gem-studded puffball or devil's snuff-box (Lycoperdon perlatum) is a moderate sized puffball mushroom with a round fruiting body, tapering to a wide stalk. It is off-white with a top covered in short, spiny bumps or "jewels".
When mature, they become brown and a hole in the top opens to release spores which are released in a burst when the body is compressed by rain drops, a touch, falling nuts, etc
Three features distinguish this mushroom in its edible stage from the later, mature stage, and from other mushrooms:
The white, spiny looking exterior with "gems" or "studs" which are soft and detach when manipulated.
The outer shape is rounded and tapering, often inverted pear-shaped with no openings visible.
The inner structure is uniform, soft and pure white when the mushroom is immature and edible. Forms with mature spore-bearing tissues are yellow to olive on the interior.
If the inner structure is hard or contains gills or an inner stem, then it is not the gem-studded puffball, and may be poisonouspotentially even deadly.
Gem-studded puffballs are considered to be a choice edible mushroom when young and the gleba is homogeneous and white. They become inedible as they mature: the gleba becomes yellow-tinged, then finally develops into a mass of powdery olive-green spores.
The immature "buttons" or "eggs" of deadly Amanita species can be confused with puffballs. For this reason puffballs should always be sliced vertically and inspected for the developing structures of a mushroom. However, Amanitas will generally not have 'jewels' or a bumpy surface, for the most part.
Gem-studded puffball spores are ornamented with many sharp, microscopic spines and can cause severe irritation of the lung (lycoperdonosis) when deliberately inhaled. |
gracious, jconceicao, haraprasan, crs, cloud, nglen, siggi, boreocypriensis, jaycee, cicindela, jrobertop, LordPotty has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
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Hello Gert,
Captured well on these puffball with perfect exposure and focus!
the image is very sharp with natural colour and superb details in it
thanks for the notes as well
cheers
Tony
Hello Gert,
Wonderful photo of this interesting mushroom.
Excellent details and colours.
Composition and lighting are fantastic.
I like very much photo of mushrooms.
Good notes.
nice pair, TFS Ori
Hi Gert,
A nice capture of these puff ball mushrooms. Superb details and a lovely composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.
- crs
(3543)
- [2008-09-24 8:49]
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Hello Gert,
You have made a fine photo of these fungi. You have shown so well the texture of the fungi's surface as well as its colors. The contrast with the green moss is fine and makes the photo look very real.
Thank you for sharing,
Cristian
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- cloud
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 298 W: 71 N: 757]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(4683) - [2008-09-24 9:22]
- [+]
Hello Gert,
I know this species and saw very big about 40-50 cm diameter. Good exposition against blurred BG.
Regards, Pawel
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- nglen
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2900 W: 34 N: 8586]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif)
(32012) - [2008-09-24 9:47]
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Hi Gert. I very good close up of the Puffballs. When i was young i use to like to tap them to see the dust come out. Your low POV has given for a fine picture with good detail and rich colours. They look so good with the moss. well done TFS, Interesting notes too.
Nick..
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- siggi
(16040)
- [2008-09-24 10:05]
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Hello Gert,
this is very beautiful.Very good sharpness,
,pov and composition. Lovely colors too.
The bg is a very nice contrast.
Regards Siggi
Hi Big Bro,
You forget all thime your L'il brother:). Anyway this shot shows that you are a great admirer of the fongi and also an expert on the photographing them. A stunningly perfect shot and perfectly prepared nots my dear brother.
Many thanks for sharing this superb image.
Cheers,
Bayram
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- jaycee
(21912)
- [2008-09-24 12:56]
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Hi Gert,
How wonderful to find this pair of these Gem-studded Puffballs. It is such a good shot that I would recognize one were I to see it. Excellent details and nice natural colors. Superb composition and lighting.
Jane
Hi Gert!
Funny composition with very good quality! Sharpness and DOF is really very good, I can see all important details in these mushrooms :)
TFS and all the best!
Radomir
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- pvs
(13835)
- [2008-09-24 15:04]
- [+]
Ha Gert,
Deze zie ik hier geloof ik ook wel,als je er per ongeluk tegen aanloopt heb je gelijk een stofwolk in het rond als ik me niet vergis,fraai vastgelegd met goede POV,groetjes
Paul
Hello Gert.
Splendid definition and chromatism.
A shot very well detailed.
I liked much this perspective and framing.
Congratulations and TFS this beauty!
Regards,
José Roberto
Very good capture of this Lycoperdon Gert.
Great composition,perfect exposure and focus.
Cheers
Steve
