🍄⭐The February mushroom of the month is the Many-rooted Earthball, Scleroderma polyrhizum.
🙌 to Mike Ryon for correctly identifying this mushroom and the newest member of the society.
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What is that?
Dead Man's Hand, Earthstar Scleroderma, Many-rooted Earthball are all common names for Scleroderma polyrhizum, a basidiomycete fungus and a member of the genus Scleroderma, or "earthballs". They don’t really look like a typical mushroom, and many find themselves scratching their heads when first encountering one, trying to figure out what exactly it is. When they first emerge from the ground, they look like a rock. When they finally open, they look like a melted/rotten Reese’s peanut butter cup.
Taxonomy & Ecology
Found in dry, sandy soils, this species begins completely buried before slowly forcing the soil aside as it cracks apart to form a rough, star-shaped body with a diameter of 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in). When unopened, the fruit body ranges in shape from round to flattened to somewhat irregular, sometimes with lobes. At the center is a dark, brownish spore mass. Many- rooted earthballs are widely distributed across Asia, Europe and the America’s wherever soil and climate is favorable.
are they edible?
It will likely come as no surprise that these mushrooms are not edible. Not only do they look icky, they contain toxins which can cause some serious gastric discomfort. However, Scleroderma polyrhizum fruit bodies have been used in Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of treatment of detumescence and hemostasis. Future research may reveal more uses for this fascinating fungi.
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