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puffball |
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puffball or smokeball, fungus in which the aboveground portion is typically a stemless brownish sac with an opening at the top through which issues the dustlike mass of ripe spores. The common puffball is Lycoperdon gemmatum. The giant puffball (L. giganteum) may reach a diameter of 1 ft (30 cm) or more. No puffballs are poisonous, and most forms are edible when young. They are related to the mushroom mushroom, type of basidium fungus characterized by spore-bearing gills on the underside of the umbrella- or cone-shaped cap. The name toadstool is popularly reserved for inedible or poisonous mushrooms, but this classification has no scientific basis. ..... Click the link for more information. and are similar in flavor. Puffballs are classified in the kingdom Fungi Fungi (fŭn`jī), kingdom of heterotrophic single-celled, multinucleated, or multicellular organisms, including yeasts, molds, and ..... Click the link for more information. , phylum (division) Basidiomycota. puffballAny of various fungi (see fungus) in the order Lycoperdales of the class Basidiomycetes, found in soil or on decaying wood in grassy areas and woods. Puffballs are named for the fact that puffs of spores are released when the dry and powdery tissues of the mature spherical fruiting body (basidiocarp) are disturbed. Many are edible before maturity. puffball any of various basidiomycetous saprotrophic fungi of the genera Calvatia and Lycoperdon, having a round fruiting body that discharges a cloud of brown spores when mature How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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She compared DNA from false truffles with DNA from Laccaria mushrooms, which produce similar spores. In the past, biologists were unable to confirm any relationship between the false truffle Rhizopogon subcaerulescens and other fungal species. |
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