Appearance
When unopened, the fruit body ranges in shape from round to flattened to somewhat irregular, sometimes with lobes. As the mushroom matures, the peridium opens in a star-like manner to form 4–8 rays that curl back and expose the inner spore mass .Typically, more than half of the fruit bodies remains buried in the ground, attached by white, string-like or flattened strands rhizomorphs. The peridium is tough and thick, typically 0.3–1 cm , with a rough and cracked surface. It is initially white, then turns yellowish to light brown as it matures. When unopened, the fruit body is 4–15 cm wide, expanding to 12–30 cm after rupturing. In young specimens, the gleba is firm and light grey, but it become dark brown and powdery after the spores mature.
The spores are spherical, partially reticulate with warts or spines, and measure 6–11 μm. A drop of dilute potassium hydroxide placed on the surface of the fruit body will either be nonreactive or turn the peridium slightly yellow.
Naming
''Scleroderma texense'' has a fruitbody similar in appearance to ''S. polyrhizum''. Some authors have considered them synonymous, but Guzmán's 1970 study of the type showed that ''S. texense'' is distinct. It typically has an exoperidium that is more yellowish or orangish, with thick, folded scales in maturity.
Distribution
It has a wide distribution in North America, including Mexico. It has also been recorded from Africa, Asia , Europe, South America , and Oceania.
Habitat
Fruit bodies of ''Scleroderma polyrhizum'' grow singly, scattered, or in clusters, usually on hard clay or sandy soil, gravel, in lawns, or bare soil. Fruiting occurs in late summer and fall, although blackened rays can sometimes be found in the winter.References:
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