PUFFBALLS 



123 



Common on "wood, especially railway ties, usually clustered or in troops; too 

 small and tougli to be of value. 



PUFFBALLS LYCOPERDACEAE 



Cap a closed ball, with or without a stem, breaking or opening at maturity to 

 expose the powdery mass of spores. In most of the genera, the cap is enclosed in 

 two walls or membranes, the outer of which may split into star-like lobes or circular- 

 ly, or may fall away in fragments. The flesh is white \\dien the plant first appears, 

 but as the spores mature, it becomes stained with yellow, and finally turns into a 

 powdery mass of spores and threads, which escape through mere cracks or through 

 a definite opening. In the young condition, practically all puffballs are edible, and 

 many of them delicious. One or two only are suspected. They grow habitually on 

 the ground, though a few occur on wood. 



KEY TO THE GENEKA 



Cap traversed by a distinct stem, at least when young Secotium 

 Cap not traversed by a stem, pulp uniform or nearly 



so 



Outer wall splitting circularly, or into star-like 

 lobes 



( 1 ) "Wall splitting circularly, half or less remain- 



ing on the cap 



( 2 ) ^\'all splitting into starlike lobes 

 r)uter wall breaking away in pieces or wearing off 



( 1 ) Cap with a slender distinct stalk 



(2) Cap stalkless, or the broad stalk widening into 



the cap 



(a) Inner wall breaking into pieces, freeing the 



spores ; cap often very large Calvatia 



(b) Inner wall opening by a distinct mouth or 



a more or less regular tear at the apex ; 



cap small to medium 

 X. Cap with a stalk-like base ; opening by a 



distinct mouth Lycoperdon 



y. Cap without a stalk-like base, opening by 



a tear Bovista 



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 130 



SECOTIUM 



Cap globoid to conic, with a short stalk, which is continued through the pulp 

 to the apex, distinguishing this genus from all the following. The cap breaks at 

 the base about the stem. The presence of the stem in the cap connects this genus 

 with the gill fungi. The pulp contains more or less evident hollows, at least when 

 young. The name refers to the presence of hollows in the pulp. 



