The pileus is ac.u.minate, perforated at apex. The stem is cylindrical, tapering gradually to the apex, whitish or pinkish below, pileus bright red.

The volva is oblong-ovoid, pinkish, segments two or three. The spores are elliptical-oblong. _Morgan._

The odor of this plant is not as strong as in some of the Phalloids. The eggs of Phallus and Mutinus are said to be very good when fried properly, but my recollection of the odor of the plant has been too vivid for me to try them. It is usually found in mixed woods, but sometimes in richly cultivated fields. I have found them frequently about Chillicothe six to seven inches high. In Figure 452 on the right is shown an egg and above it is a section of an egg containing the embryonic plant. This plant is called by Prof. Morgan Mutinus bovinus.

After seeing this picture the collector will not fail to recognize it.

It is one of the curious growths in nature. Found in July and August.

CHAPTER XV.

LYCOPERDACEAE--PUFF-b.a.l.l.s.

This family includes all fungi which have their spores in closed chambers until maturity. The chambers are called the gleba and this is surrounded by the peridium or rind, which in different puffb.a.l.l.s exhibits various characteristic ways of opening to let the spores escape. The peridium is composed of two distinct layers, one called the cortex, the other the peridium proper. The plant is generally sessile, sometimes more or less stemmed, at maturity filled with a dusty ma.s.s of spores and thread.

It affords many of our most delicious fungus food products. The following genera are considered here:

I. Calvatia--The large puffball.

II. Lycoperdon--The small puffball.

III. Bovista--The tumbling puffball.

IV. Geaster--Earth Star.

V. Scleroderma--The hard puffball.

_Calvatia. Fr._

This genus represents the largest sized puffb.a.l.l.s. They have a thick cord-like mycelium rooting from the base. The peridium is very large, breaking away in fragments when ripe and exposing the gleba. The cortex is thin, adherent, often soft and smooth like kid leather, sometimes covered with minute squamules; the inner peridium is thin and fragile, at maturity cracking into areas. The capillitium is a net-work of fine threads through the tissues of spore-bearing portion; tissue, snow white at first, turning greenish-yellow, then brown; the ma.s.s of spores and the dense net-work of threads (capillitium) attached to the peridium and to the subgleba or sterile base which is cellulose; limited and concave above. Spores small, round, usually sessile.

_Calvatia gigantea. Batsch._

THE GIANT PUFFBALL. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate LVII. Figure 454.--Calvatia gigantea.]

This species grows to an immense size (often twenty inches in diameter); round or obovoid, with a thick mycelial cord rooting it to the ground, sessile, cortex white and glossy, sometimes slightly roughened by minute floccose warts, becoming yellowish or brown. The inner peridium is thin and fragile, after maturity breaking up into fragments, apparently without any subgleba; capillitium and spores yellowish-green to dingy-olive. The spores are round, sometimes minutely warted.

Not common about Chillicothe, but in the northwestern part of the state they are very plentiful in their season, and very large. Standing in Mr.

Joseph's wood-pasture, east of Bowling Green, I have counted fifteen giant puffb.a.l.l.s whose diameters would average ten inches, and whose cortex was as white and glossy as a new kid glove. A friend of mine, living in Bowling Green, and driving home from Deshler, saw in a wood-pasture twenty-five of these giant puffb.a.l.l.s. Being impressed with the sight and having some grain sacks in his wagon he filled them and brought them home. He at once telephoned for me to come to his house, as the mountain was too big to take to Mohammed. He was surprised to learn that he had found that proverbial calf which is all sweet-breads. That evening we supplied twenty-five families with slices of these puffb.a.l.l.s.

They can be kept for two or three days on ice. The photograph, taken by Prof. Shaffner of Ohio State University, will show how they look growing in the gra.s.s. They seem to delight to nestle in the tall bluegra.s.s. This species has been cla.s.sed heretofore as Lycoperdon giganteum. Found from August to October.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 455.--Calvatia gigantia. One-fifth natural size, showing how they grow in the gra.s.s.]

_Calvatia lilacina. Berk._

LILAC PUFFBALL. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate LVIII. Figure 456.--Calvatia lilacina.

Natural size in a growing state.]

The peridium is three to six inches in diameter; globose or depressed globose; smooth or minutely floccose or scaly; whitish, cinereous-brown or pinkish-brown, often cracking into areas in the upper part; commonly with a short, thick, stemless base; capillitium and spores purple-brown, these and the upper part of the peridium falling away and disappearing when old, leaving a cup-shaped base with a ragged margin. Spores globose, rough, purple-brown, 5-6.5 broad. _Peck_, 48th Rep. N. Y.

State Bot.

It is very common all over the state. I have seen pastures in Shelby and Defiance counties dotted all over with this species. When the inside is white, they are very good and meaty. No puffball is poisonous, so far as is known, but if the inside has turned yellowish at all it is apt to be quite bitter. It will often be seen in pastures and open woods in the form of a cup, the upper portion having broken away and the wind having scooped out the purple spore-ma.s.s, leaving only the cup-shaped base. The specimens in Figure 457 are just beginning to crack open and to show purplish stains. They represent less than one-fourth of the natural size. They look very much like the smaller sized C. gigantea, but the purple spores and the subgleba at once distinguish the species. This species, found from July to October, is sometimes cla.s.sed as Lycoperdon cyathiforme. The photograph was taken by Prof. Longyear.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 457.--Calvatia lilacina.]

_Calvatia caelata. Bull._

THE CARVED PUFFBALL. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo by C. G. Lloyd._

Plate LIX. Figure 458.--Calvatia caelata.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 459.--Calvatia caelata.]

Caelata, carved. Peridium large, obovoid or top-shaped, depressed above, with a stout thick base and a cord-like root. Cortex a thickish floccose layer, with coa.r.s.e warts or spines above, whitish then ochraceous or finally brown, at length breaking up into areola which are more or less persistent; inner peridium thick but fragile, thinner about the apex, where it finally ruptures, forming a large, irregular, torn opening.

Subgleba occupying nearly half the peridium, cup-shaped above and for a long time persistent; the ma.s.s of spores and capillitium compact, farinaceous greenish-yellow or olivaceous, becoming pale to dark-brown; the threads are very much branched, the primary branches two or three times as thick as the spores, very brittle, soon breaking up into fragments. Spores globose, even, 4-4.5 in diameter, sessile or sometimes with a short or minute pedicel. Peridium is three to five inches in diameter. _Morgan._

This species is much like the preceding but can be easily distinguished by the larger size and the yellowish-olive color of the mature spore-ma.s.s. The sterile base is often the larger part of the fungus and, as will be seen in Figure 459, it is anch.o.r.ed by a heavy root-like growth. It is found growing on the ground in fields and thin woods. When white through and through, sliced, rolled in egg and cracker crumbs, and nicely fried, you are glad you know a puffball. Found from August to October.

_Calvatia craniiformis. Schw._

THE BRAIN-SHAPED CALVATIA. EDIBLE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate LX. Figure 460.--Calvatia craniiformis.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 461.--The sterile part of C. craniiformis.]

Craniiformis is from _Cranion_, a skull; _forma_, a form.

The peridium is very large, obovoid or top-shaped, depressed above, the base thick and stout, with a cord-like root. The cortex is a smooth continuous layer, very thin and fragile, easily peeling off, pallid or grayish, sometimes with a reddish tinge, often becoming folded in areas; the inner peridium is thin, ochraceous to bright-brown, extremely fragile, the upper part, after maturity, breaking into fragments and falling away.

The subgleba occupies about one-half of the peridium, is cup-shaped above and for a long time persistent; the ma.s.s of spores and capillitium is greenish-yellow, then ochraceous or dirty olivaceous; the threads are very long, about as thick as the spores, branched. The spores are globose, even, 3-3.5 in diameter, with minute pedicels. _Morgan._

It is difficult to distinguish this from C. lilacina when fresh, but when ripe the color will tell the species. Figure 460 shows the plant as it appears on the ground, and figure 461 shows the subgleba or sterile base, which is frequently found on the ground after weathering the winter. This plant is very common on the hillsides under small oak shrubbery. I have gathered a basketful within a few feet. They grow very large, often five to six inches in diameter, seeming to delight in rather poor soil. When the spore-ma.s.s is white this is an excellent fungus, but exceedingly bitter after it has turned yellow. Found during October and November.

_Calvatia elata. Ma.s.see._