Lycoperdon utriforme

Description

Lycoperdon utriforme is a species of the puffball family Lycoperdaceae. It is a whitish to pale large puffball mushroom. In mature, the fruiting body has polygonal-shaped segments on the outer surface. The gleba becomes dry and powdery in mature specimens. Widespread in northern temperate zones, it is found frequently on pastures and sandy heaths, and is edible when young.

This fairly large puffball is edible only when the spore bearing flesh is young and white. It is said to lack texture, and the taste and odor of the young fruiting bodies are described as "not distinctive".

A 2005 study of the antimicrobial activity of several Lycoperdaceae revealed that Lycoperdon utriforme has "significantly active" against several bacteria, including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Mycobacterium smegmatis. On the other hand, L. utriforme has low antifungal activity against the species Candida albicans, Rhodotorula rubra, and Kluyveromyces fragilis.

In ancient times, the dust of the sponge or the flesh, dried in the young stage and then kneaded, was applied (as well as that of other edible varieties of this genus) as an antihemorrhagic and also as antiseptic.

Common names: Mosaic Puffball, Ruitjesbovist (Netherlands), Pýchavka dlabaná (Czech Republic), Hasenstäubling (German).

Mushroom Identification

1. Fruit Bodies

   Like all puffballs it has a gasteroid basidiocarp, meaning the spores are produced internally, and are only released as the mature fruiting body ages and dries, or is broken. Young puffballs are typically 6 to 12 cm (2+1⁄2 to 4+1⁄2 in) across, white, or pale gray-brown. In maturity, it may attain dimensions of 25 cm (10 in) broad by 20 cm (8 in) tall.

2. Exoperidium (Outer Wall)

   The exoperidum is tomentose - densely covered with a layer of fine matted hairs.

3. Underside

   The underside of the puffball is attached to the ground by a root-like assemblage of hyphae called a rhizomorph. It is squat in appearance and roughly pear-shaped, not usually taller than it is wide.

4. Flesh

   The flesh (gleba, or spore bearing mass) is white when young, but becomes brown and powdery upon maturity. The upper skin eventually disintegrates weeks or even months after the puffball's appearance, and the brown spores are released into the air; this process is often hastened by rain, or by being trodden on by cattle. Eventually, all that remains is the sterile cup-shaped base, which can sometimes hold water.

5. Spore Mass

   Olive brown to dark brown.

6. Habitat

   It is widespread, and frequent in northern temperate zones. It is found in Europe, continental Asia, Japan, eastern Atlantic North America, Mexico, and South Africa. It has also been collected in Chile, and New Zealand. Growing alone or in small groups, it favors sandy open pastures, or heaths, and is often found in coastal regions. It typically fruits in summer through late autumn.

7. Microscopic Features

   The spores are roughly spherical, smooth, and thick-walled, with a single oil droplet. They have dimensions of 4.5–5.5 µm.

Look-Alikes

1. Calvatia cyathiformis

   Has a purple-colored gleba with a smooth exoperidium.

2. Calvatia booniana

   Has an exoperidium that resembles felt or has tufts of soft "hairs" like Lycoperdon utriforme but does not have any stem and has a capillitium with rounded rather than sinuous pits.

3. Calvatia pachyderma

   Has an exoperidium that is thicker and smoother than L. utriforme.

4. Lycoperdon excipuliforme

   Can only be confused with large specimens, has an inverted pear-shaped fruiting body covered with tiny spines and is also edible.

5. Calvatia lilacina

   Can be distinguished macroscopically by the purple-brown spore dust and the place of occurrence mainly in the Mediterranean. It is edible.

6. Mycenastrum corium

   Has large fruiting bodies and thick, star-like cracking skin. Occurrence: dry continental areas. It is inedible.

7. Calvatia gigantea

   It is possible to confuse it with the younger fruiting bodies of the giant puffball, whose surface is smooth and the adult fruiting bodies are larger and closer to a spherical shape.

Lycoperdon utriforme Bioaccumulation

A study of the copper and zinc concentrations in 28 different species of edible mushroom showed that Lycoperdon utriforme selectively bioaccumulated both copper (251.9 mg of copper per kilogram of mushroom) and zinc (282.1 mg Zn/kg mushroom) to higher levels than all other mushrooms tested. The authors note that although these trace elements are important nutritional requirements for humans, and that L. utriforme may be considered a good source of these elements, it is known that absorption of the elements (bioavailability) from mushrooms is "low due to limited absorption from the small intestine".

History

In 1790 French botanist Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard describes this species and named it Lycoperdon utriforme. Later this fungus was placed in various genera Bovista, Lycoperdon, Calvatia, and Utraria.

In 1989 German mycologist Hanns Kreisel described the genus Handkea to include species of Calvatia that had distinct microscopic features: Handkea species have a unique type of capillitium (coarse thick-walled hyphae in the gleba), with curvy slits instead of the usual pores. Although accepted by some authors, the genus concept has been rejected by others.

The specific epithet utrarius means "water carrier" in Latin. The genus name Lycoperdon means "wolf's flatulence".

Synonyms and Varieties

• Calvatia utriformis (Bull.) Jaap. 1918

• Bovista favosa Rostk., 1839

• Bovista officinarum Rostk., 1839

• Bovista utriformis (Bull.) Fr., 1829

• Bovistella utriformis (Bull.) Demoulin & Rebriev (2017)

• Calvatia caelata (Bull.) Morgan (1890) f. caelata

• Calvatia caelata (Bull.) Morgan (1890) var. caelata

• Calvatia caelata (Bull.) Morgan 1890

• Calvatia caelata f. exigua Hruby (1930)

• Calvatia caelata var. hungarica (Hollós) F. Šmarda (1958)

• Calvatia hungarica Hollós, 1904

• Calvatia utriformis (Bull.) Jaap 1918

• Globaria bovista Quél.

• Handkea utriformis (Bull.) Kreisel (1989) var. utriformis

• Handkea utriformis (Bull.) Kreisel 1989

• Handkea utriformis var. hungarica (Hollós) Kreisel (1989)

• Lycoperdon areolatum Schaeff., 1774

• Lycoperdon bovista L. (1753) var. bovista

• Lycoperdon bovista Pers. 1796

• Lycoperdon bovista var. bovista Pers.

• Lycoperdon bovista var. echinatum (Schaeff.) Huds. (1778)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. echinatum Lightf. (1777)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. glabrum Lightf. (1777)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. granulatum Lightf. (1777)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. hispidum Leers (1789)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. laeve Bull. (1791)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. laeve Leers (1789)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. maculatum Lightf. (1777)

• Lycoperdon bovista var. vulgare Huds. (1778)

• Lycoperdon caelatum Bull. 1789

• Lycoperdon caelatum Fr. 1791

• Lycoperdon cepiforme var. hungaricum (Hollós) Rick (1961)

• Lycoperdon echinatum Schaeff., 1774

• Lycoperdon gemmatum Schaeff., 1774

• Lycoperdon quadricorne Sw., 1814

• Lycoperdon sinclairii Berk. 1887

• Lycoperdon utriforme Bull. (1791) var. utriforme

• Lycoperdon utriforme Bull., 1790

• Lycoperdon utriforme var. hungaricum (Hollós) Jalink (2010)

• Utraria caelata (Bull.) Quél. (1873)

• Utraria utriformis (Bull.) Quél., 1873

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