smooth earthball

Thân thiện

A smooth earthball sits on the forest floor among fallen leaves.

Definition

Noun: 1. A type of inedible fungus: A specific species of earthball fungus (Scleroderma laeve) characterized by a round fruiting body (peridium) that is initially firm, dry, and smooth, later developing cracks as it matures. Its color changes from pale orange-yellow in youth to reddish-brown at maturity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • We found a cluster of smooth earthball near the base of the old oak tree.
  • Unlike some puffballs, the smooth earthball is not edible and can cause stomach upset.
  • The key identifying feature of the smooth earthball is its initially smooth peridium that cracks with age.

Advanced Usage

• In mycological description: The term is used precisely to distinguish from other earthball species which may have a scaly or warty surface.
  • The specimen was identified as a smooth earthball due to its lack of surface scales and its characteristic cracking pattern.

Variants and Related Words

• Earthball (n): The general common name for fungi in the genus , which have a hard, ball-like fruiting body.
• Scleroderma laeve (n): The scientific binomial name for the smooth earthball.
• Puffball (n): A common name for fungi in other genera (e.g., ) that have a global fruiting body which releases spores through a pore or by breaking open; often confused with earthballs, but typically edible when young.

Synonyms

• Scleroderma laeve (Scientific name)

Related Terms (Contextual)

• Peridium (n): The outer skin or wall of the fruiting body in fungi like earthballs and puffballs.
• Gleba (n): The spore-bearing inner mass of an earthball or puffball, which is dark and powdery at maturity in earthballs.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an earthball with a peridium that is firm dry and smooth when young but developing cracks when mature; pale orange-yellow when young and reddish brown at maturity

Từ đồng nghĩa

• scleroderma bovista