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Can you help?
As you can see, we have a major omission from this section: we have no bird's-nest fungi pages! If you have taken suitable pictures of species of the genera Cyathus, and/or Nidularia and are willing for us to show them - with proper acknowledgement of course - we would be most grateful. If you can help, please email us...
The Gasteromycetes - puffballs,
stinkhorns, earthstars and earthballs - are sometimes referred to as the
'stomach fungi' because they produce a spore mass 'gleba' that develops inside
the fruitbody until the spores are mature. Gasteromycetes is rather an artificial grouping but nevertheless useful from an identification point of view.
A few of the larger fungi in this group - notably some of the puffballs - are
considered edible, but most others are tasteless and several of the earthballs
are poisonous.
Larger pictures, identification guides and a wealth of information on these
and hundreds of other species are contained on the First-Nature CD-ROM Guide to Fungi.
| The Gasteromycetes are sometimes referred to as the 'stomach' fungi
because the fertile material develops inside spherical or pear-shaped fruit
bodies. At maturity the fruit bodies split open to release their powdery spores.
Earthballs are inedible. And by the time stinkhorns make their presence
known (anyone with a nose can locate a common stinkhorn from 100 metres
downwind) they are most definitely not fit for human consumption (although flies
seem to enjoy them).
Ball fungi grow either on the ground or occasionally on rotting wood. |
Puffballs and Earthballs
Puffballs are edible when young and white throughout, before the brown spores
begin to develop. Earthballs are inedible and some are poisonous. |
Lycoperdon
pyriforme
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Stinkhorns
There are several stinkhorn species but most are quite rare except for the
Common Stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus, and the Dog stinkhorn, Mutinus
caninus. Both occur in woodland. |
Phallus
impudicus
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| There are more than 100 European species identified within the Gasteromycetes. |
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