Calbovista

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Calbovista
Calbovista subsculpta 42758.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Agaricaceae
Genus: Calbovista
Morse ex M.T.Seidl (1995)
Type species
Calbovista subsculpta
Morse ex M.T.Seidl (1995)
Synonyms [1]
  • Calbovista subsculptaMorse (1935)
  • Calbovista subsculpta var. fumosa A.H.Sm. (1965)
Information icon.svg
Gleba icon.png Glebal hymenium
No cap icon.svgNo distinct cap
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is not applicable
NA cap icon.svgLacks a stipe
Transparent spore print icon.svg
 Spore print is blackish-brown
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Edible.pngMycomorphbox Inedible.pngEdibility is edible or inedible

Calbovista is a fungal genus containing the single species Calbovista subsculpta, commonly known as the sculptured puffball, sculptured giant puffball, and warted giant puffball. It is a common puffball of the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast ranges of western North America. The puffball is more or less round with a diameter of up to 15 cm (6 in), white becoming brownish in age, and covered with shallow pyramid-shaped plates or scales. It fruits singly or in groups along roads and in open woods at high elevations, from summer to autumn.

Contents

Although the puffball was originally described as new to science by Elizabeth Eaton Morse in 1935, it was not published validly until 60 years later. The species is named for its resemblance to Calvatia sculpta , from which it can be usually distinguished in the field by its less prominent pyramidal warts, and microscopically by the antler-like branches of its capillitium (thread-like material among the spores). Calbovista subsculpta is a good edible species while its interior flesh (the gleba) is still firm and white. As the puffball matures, its insides become dark brown and powdery from mature spores.

Taxonomy

In her 1935 Mycologia article, American mycologist Elizabeth Eaton Morse noted the existence of an abundant and widely distributed puffball of the western United States that was commonly misidentified as Calvatia sculpta , although it differed from that species in having extensively branched capillitial threads. The puffball had characteristics that aligned it with several other taxa. The peridium was similar to those of Calvatia sculpta, Calvatia caelata (now known as Calvatia bovista ), Scleroderma flavidum , and Scleroderma aurantium (now Scleroderma citrinum ); the rooting base was similar to Bovistella ; and the structure of the capillitial threads reminiscent of Bovista , Bovistella, and Mycenastrum . However, the new species had a unique combination of characteristics and did not fit neatly into any already-described genera. As a result, Morse circumscribed the new genus Calbovista to contain Calbovista sculpta. The type collection was made at Soda Springs, California in May 1934 at an elevation of 2,063 m (6,767 ft). [2] Morse's publication of the genus was invalid because it lacked a description in Latin—a requirement of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature that was implemented effective January 1, 1935. The genus and species were published validly with a Latin description by Michelle Seidl in 1995. [3]

Alexander H. Smith described a variety, Calbovista subsculpta var. fumosa, in 1965, based on a collection he made in Kaniksu National Forest (northeastern Washington) in 1964. [4] This variety, known only from the type locality, differs from the nominate variety in its grayish outer peridium and minute scales. Because it was based on an invalid genus, it too was invalid; it was later published correctly in 2012 with the full name and authority Calbovista subsculpta var. fumosa A.H.Sm. ex J.C.Coetzee & A.E.van Wyk. [5]

Calbovista is usually classified in the family Lycoperdaceae, [6] [7] although the nomenclatural status of this group is unclear, as some authorities lump it into the Agaricaceae. [8] [9] By contrast, Sanford Myron Zeller placed Calbovista in Mycenastracae, a family erected by him in 1948 to contain Calbovista and Mycenastrum , two genera united by similarities in capillitial morphology. [10] Mycenastraceae is not currently considered to have independent taxonomic significance and is folded into synonymy with the Agaricaceae. [11]

The genus name Calbovista combines the parts cal, referring to the genus's puffball ally Calvatia, and bovista, alluding to the genus's similarity to Bovista and Bovistella. The specific epithet subsculpta refers to its resemblance to Calvatia sculpta, a species with which it had been frequently confused. [2] Common names used to refer to the fungus include the sculptured puffball, [12] sculptured giant puffball, [13] and warted giant puffball. [14]

Description

Fruit bodies are edible when the interior gleba is still white and firm. Calbovista subsculpta 226094.jpg
Fruit bodies are edible when the interior gleba is still white and firm.

Fruit bodies are irregularly top-shaped to roughly spherical, measuring 7–17 cm (3–6+1⁄2 in) wide by 6–12 cm (2+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 in) high. It has a two-layered peridium. The outer layer of the peridium (the exoperidium) is thick and leathery (except where it thins toward the base), measuring 5–10 mm (3⁄16–3⁄8 in) thick. [15] It is divided into irregular three- to six-sided, low pyramids that are usually blunt, but sometimes pointed. The pyramids are 5–8 mm (3⁄16–5⁄16 in) thick. They have parallel markings, a feature Morse attributed to the differences in growth rate caused by variations in daytime and nighttime temperatures. [2] The pyramid centers have short brownish hairs. The pyramids cover the entire peridium except for near the base, where it is smooth. [12] Warts on the surface of young fruit bodies may be disproportionately thick. [2]

The inner peridium is a thin shiny tissue that is depressed into areas demarcated by the pyramidal plates. The puffball base, which occupies about a third to a quarter of the bottom of the fruit body, consists of moderately-sized chambers that persist even after the gleba has matured and the spores have dispersed. [2] The base can assume a purplish hue after weathering. [16] The base is rooted into the soil with rhizomorphs. Initially white, the gleba turns color from yellow to golden brown to dark brown as the spores mature. [2] As the gleba dries, the inner peridium dries and cracks, exposing the spore mass in cracks between the scales. [13] The gleba is supported by a yellowish-brown to light brown subgleba. [15]

The spherical spores measure 3–5 μm, including an outer covering (an epispore) of about 0.5  μm. Their surface texture ranges from smooth to faintly warted. They have an oil droplet, and a translucent pedicel (a small stalk) up to 2.5 μm long. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped, four-spored, and measure 10–12.5 μm long by 5–7.5 μm wide. The capillitium comprises short, highly branched (resembling antlers) and entangled threads measuring 5–10 μm wide with walls up to 2.5 μm thick. Capillitial threads do not have septa. [2]

Microscopy
Calbovista subsculpta 327150.jpg Calbovista subsculpta 406235.jpg Calbovista subsculpta 406234.jpg
Light micrograph of the characteristic antler-branched capillita Electron micrograph of capillita and sporesThe spores have a faintly warted surface and a pedicel.

The puffballs are edible when the interior gleba is still firm and white. [17] The flesh has no odor and a mild taste. [18]

Similar species

In the field, Calbovista puffballs are sometimes difficult to reliably distinguish from Calvatia sculpta. Although the latter species has prominent pyramidal warts, some specimens of Calbovista (especially young ones) may share this feature and the distinction between them becomes blurred. Microscopic differences can be used to tell the two species apart: Calvatia puffballs do not have a highly branched and entangled capillitium. Another lookalike, Mycenastrum corium, has a smooth peridium, a reduced or absent base, [18] tends to split open in maturity into irregularly shaped sections, [2] and has spiny capillitial threads. [19] Calvatia subcretacea , also found in high elevations under conifers in western North America, has smaller fruit bodies, measuring up to 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) high and 5 cm (2 in) wide. It has small pointed warts with gray tips. [18] Calvatia booniana is a large puffball—up to 60 cm (24 in) in diameter—found in open pastures and grassy areas of the western United States that has flat polygonal scales on the outer peridium. In addition to its larger size, it differs from Calbovista in that it lacks a sterile base [18] and its capillitia are less branched and have septa. [16]

Habitat and distribution

Calbovista is a saprobic species, decomposing dead plant material. [20] Its fruit bodies grow singly, in groups, or occasionally in clusters. Fruiting occurs from April to August in areas with broken rocks mixed with soil, or in open coniferous forest at elevations ranging from 900 to 3,400 m (3,000 to 11,000 ft). [2] Another usual habitat is on road sides. [12] Calbovista is a common mountain puffball. [16] Its distribution covers the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast ranges of the western United States. [12] On the eastern side of the Cascade Range, the puffball is often found growing under ponderosa pine. [14] It has been collected from California, Colorado, Idaho, Washington, [2] Wyoming, [21] and Oregon. [22] Its range extends north to British Columbia and Alaska. [20] [23] The puffball is often found by morel hunters in the spring, as it grows in similar habitats. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puffball</span> Fungus

Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including Calvatia, Calbovista and Lycoperdon. The puffballs were previously treated as a taxonomic group called the Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae, but they are now known to be a polyphyletic assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agaricaceae</span> Family of fungi

The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and include the genus Agaricus, as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sclerodermataceae</span> Family of fungi

The Sclerodermataceae are a family of fungi in the order Boletales, containing several genera of unusual fungi that little resemble boletes. Taxa, which include species commonly known as the ‘hard-skinned puffballs’, ‘earthballs’, or 'earthstars', are widespread in both temperate and tropical regions. The best known members include the earthball Scleroderma citrinum, the dye fungus Pisolithus tinctorius and the 'prettymouths' of the genus Calostoma.

<i>Calvatia craniiformis</i> Species of puffball fungus

Calvatia craniiformis, commonly known as the brain puffball or the skull-shaped puffball, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. It is found in Asia, Australia, and North America, where it grows on the ground in open woods. Its name, derived from the same Latin root as cranium, alludes to its resemblance to an animal's brain. The skull-shaped fruit body is 8–20 cm (3–8 in) broad by 6–20 cm (2–8 in) tall and white to tan. Initially smooth, the skin (peridium) develops wrinkles and folds as it matures, cracking and flaking with age. The peridium eventually sloughs away, exposing a powdery yellow-brown to greenish-yellow spore mass. The puffball is edible when the gleba is still white and firm, before it matures to become yellow-brown and powdery. Mature specimens have been used in the traditional or folk medicines of China, Japan, and the Ojibwe as a hemostatic or wound dressing agent. Several bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from the brain puffball.

<i>Bovista</i> Genus of fungi

Bovista is a genus of fungi commonly known as the true puffballs. It was formerly classified within the now-obsolete order Lycoperdales, which, following a restructuring of fungal taxonomy brought about by molecular phylogeny, has been split; the species of Bovista are now placed in the family Agaricaceae of the order Agaricales. Bovista species have a collectively widespread distribution, and are found largely in temperate regions of the world. Various species have historically been used in homeopathic preparations.

<i>Handkea utriformis</i> Species of fungus

Handkea utriformis, synonymous with Lycoperdon utriforme, Lycoperdon caelatum or Calvatia utriformis, is a species of the puffball family Lycoperdaceae. A rather large mushroom, it may reach dimensions of up to 25 cm (10 in) broad by 20 cm (8 in) tall. It is commonly known as the mosaic puffball, a reference to the polygonal-shaped segments the outer surface of the fruiting body develops as it matures. Widespread in northern temperate zones, it is found frequently on pastures and sandy heaths, and is edible when young. H. utriformis has antibiotic activity against a number of bacteria, and can bioaccumulate the trace metals copper and zinc to relatively high concentrations.

<i>Handkea</i> Genus of fungi

Handkea is a genus of puffball mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. In 1989, German mycologist Hanns Kreisel described the genus Handkea to include species of Calvatia with distinct microscopic features, including a unique type of capillitium, with curvy slits instead of the usual pores. Although accepted by some authors, the genus concept has been rejected by others.

<i>Astraeus</i> (fungus) Genus of fungi

Astraeus is a genus of fungi in the family Diplocystaceae. The genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution, contains nine species of earthstar mushroom. They are distinguished by the outer layer of flesh (exoperidium) that at maturity splits open in a star-shape manner to reveal a round spore sac. Additionally, they have a strongly hygroscopic character—the rays will open when moist, but when hot and dry will close to protect the spore sac. Species of Astraeus grow on the ground in ectomycorrhizal associations with trees and shrubs. Despite their similar appearance to the Geastrum earthstars Astraeus is not closely related.

<i>Bovista aestivalis</i> Species of fungus

Bovista aestivalis is a species of small puffball in the family Agaricaceae. It is generally found in the coastal regions of California, but was reported from Korea in 2015. This fungus is often confused with Bovista dermoxantha, because of its similar peridium, and Bovista plumbea. The surest way to tell the species apart is to examine the spores and exoperidium, respectively, with a microscope.

<i>Geastrum triplex</i> Species of fungus in the family Geastraceae

Geastrum triplex is a fungus found in the detritus and leaf litter of hardwood forests around the world. It is commonly known as the collared earthstar, the saucered earthstar, or the triple earthstar—and less commonly by the alternative species name Geastrum indicum. It is the largest member of the genus Geastrum and expanded mature specimens can reach a tip-to-tip length of up to 12 centimeters.

<i>Calvatia sculpta</i> Species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae

Calvatia sculpta, commonly known as the sculpted puffball, the sculptured puffball, the pyramid puffball, or Sierran puffball, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Attaining dimensions of up to 8 to 15 cm tall by 8 to 10 cm wide, the pear- or egg-shaped puffball is readily recognizable because of the large pyramidal or polygonal warts covering its surface. It is edible when young, before the spores inside the fruit body disintegrate into a brownish powder. The spores are roughly spherical, and have wart-like projections on their surfaces.

<i>Mycenastrum</i> Genus of fungi

Mycenastrum is a fungal genus in the family Agaricaceae. The genus is monotypic, containing one widely distributed species, Mycenastrum corium, known by various common names: the giant pasture puffball, leathery puffball, or tough puffball. The roughly spherical to turnip-shaped puffball-like fruit bodies grow to a diameter of 6–24 cm (2–9 in). Initially covered by a thick, felted, whitish layer, the puffballs develop a characteristic checkered skin (peridium) in age. When the internal spore mass, the gleba, is firm and white, the puffball is edible, although some individuals may suffer mild gastrointestinal symptoms after eating it. As the spores mature, the gleba turns first yellowish then purplish brown. Spores are released when the peridium eventually splits open into irregularly shaped sections. Microscopically, the gleba consists of spherical, dark brown spores with rounded bumps on their surfaces, and a capillitium—intricately branched fibers that form long thorn-like spines. The puffball grows on or in the ground in prairie or desert habitats. Although widely distributed, it is not commonly encountered. Mycenastrum corium is a threatened species in Europe.

<i>Lycoperdon echinatum</i> Species of puffball mushroom

Lycoperdon echinatum, commonly known as the spiny puffball or the spring puffball, is a type of puffball mushroom in the family Agaricaceae. The saprobic species has been found in Africa, Europe, Central America, and North America, where it grows on soil in deciduous woods, glades, and pastures. It has been proposed that North American specimens be considered a separate species, Lycoperdon americanum, but this suggestion has not been followed by most authors. Molecular analysis indicates that L. echinatum is closely related to the puffball genus Handkea.

<i>Agaricus deserticola</i> Species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae endemic to southwestern and western North America

Agaricus deserticola, commonly known as the gasteroid agaricus, is a species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Found only in southwestern and western North America, A. deserticola is adapted for growth in dry or semi-arid habitats. The fruit bodies are secotioid, meaning the spores are not forcibly discharged, and the cap does not fully expand. Unlike other Agaricus species, A. deserticola does not develop true gills, but rather a convoluted and networked system of spore-producing tissue called a gleba. When the partial veil breaks or pulls away from the stem or the cap splits radially, the blackish-brown gleba is exposed, which allows the spores to be dispersed.

<i>Gastropila fumosa</i> Species of fungus

Gastropila fumosa is a species of puffball in the family Agaricaceae. It was first described as Calvatia fumosa by American mycologist Sanford Myron Zeller in 1947, and later transferred to Gastropila in 1976. Some authors place it instead in the genus Handkea, circumscribed by Hanns Kreisel in 1989.

Lycoperdon radicatum is a species of puffball mushroom, also called rooting puffball, in the family Agaricaceae. It was described in 1848 by French botanists Michel Charles Durieu de Maisonneuve and Camille Montagne in Algeria. Due to its Bovista-like capillitium it was previously placed in the genus Bovistella. It is nonpoisonous. It is easily recognised by its 4-8 cm rigid, white-gray pseudoroot.

<i>Handkea excipuliformis</i> Species of fungus

Handkea excipuliformis, commonly known as the pestle puffball or long-stemmed puffball, is a species of the family Agaricaceae. A rather large puffball, it may reach dimensions of up to 15 cm (5.9 in) broad by 25 cm (9.8 in) tall. Widespread in northern temperate zones, it is found frequently on pastures and sandy heaths.

<i>Lycoperdon marginatum</i> Species of fungus

Lycoperdon marginatum, commonly known as the peeling puffball, is a type of puffball mushroom in the genus Lycoperdon. A common species, it is found in Europe and North America, where it grows on the ground. It is characterized by the way that the spiny outer layer peels off in sheets.

<i>Bovista pila</i> Species of fungus

Bovista pila, commonly known as the tumbling puffball, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. A temperate species, it is widely distributed in North America, where it grows on the ground on road sides, in pastures, grassy areas, and open woods. There are few well-documented occurrences of B. pila outside North America. B. pila closely resembles the European B. nigrescens, from which it can be reliably distinguished only by microscopic characteristics.

<i>Calvatia pachyderma</i> Species of fungus

Calvatia pachyderma, also known as the elephant-skin puffball or thick-skinned puffball, is a species of edible fungus. This mid-sized, spring-fruiting puffball is known from relatively dry, open places near human settlements. The appropriate binomial name, taxonomic placement, and geographic distribution "have been much debated and are the subject of controversy".

References

  1. ↑ "GSD Species Synonymy: Calbovista subsculpta Morse ex M.T. Seidl". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Morse EE. (1935). "A new puffball". Mycologia. 27 (2): 96–101. doi:10.2307/3754047. JSTOR   3754047.
  3. ↑ Seidl MT. (1995). "Validation of the puffball genus Calbovista". Mycotaxon. 54: 389–92.
  4. ↑ Smith AH. (1965). "New and unusual Basidiomycetes with comments on hyphal and spore wall reactions with Melzer's solution" (PDF). Mycopathologia et Mycologia Applicata. 26 (4): 385–402 (see p. 396). doi:10.1007/bf02049566. hdl: 2027.42/43285 . S2CID   26531082.
  5. ↑ Coetzee JC, Van Wyk AE (2012). "Nomenclatural and taxonomic notes on Calvatia (Lycoperdaceae) and associated genera". Mycotaxon. 121 (1): 29–36. doi:10.5248/121.29. hdl: 2263/21213 .
  6. ↑ Kreisel H. "An emendation and preliminary survey of the genus Calvatia (Gasteromycetidae)". Persoonia. 14 (4): 431–9.
  7. ↑ Miller HR, Miller OK (1988). Gasteromycetes: Morphological and Developmental Features, with Keys to the Orders, Families, and Genera. Eureka, California: Mad River Press. p. 35. ISBN   978-0-916422-74-5.
  8. ↑ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA (2008). Dictionary of the Fungi (10th ed.). Wallingford, UK: CAB International. p. 395. ISBN   978-0-85199-826-8.
  9. ↑ "Lycoperdaceae Chevall". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  10. ↑ Zeller SM. (1948). "Notes on certain Gasteromycetes, including two new orders". Mycologia. 40 (6): 639–68. doi:10.2307/3755316. JSTOR   3755316. PMID   18102856.
  11. ↑ "Mycenastraceae Zeller". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Lincoff GH. (1989). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. New York, New York: AA Knopf. pp. 820–1. ISBN   978-0-394-51992-0.
  13. 1 2 McKnight VB, McKnight KH (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America . Peterson Field Guides. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp.  357–8. ISBN   978-0-395-91090-0.
  14. 1 2 Ammirati JF, McKenny M, Stuntz DE (1987). The New Savory Wild Mushroom. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 190. ISBN   978-0-295-96480-5.
  15. 1 2 3 Desjardin DE, Wood MG, Stevens FA (2014). California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide. Portland; London: Timber Press. p. 447. ISBN   978-1-60469-353-9.
  16. 1 2 3 Smith AH. (1975). A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. pp. 246–8. ISBN   978-0-472-85599-5.
  17. ↑ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 330. ISBN   978-1-55407-651-2.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Miller HR, Miller OK Jr (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, Connecticut: FalconGuides. p. 460. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.
  19. ↑ Smith AH. (1951). Puffballs and their Allies in Michigan. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. pp. 80–1.
  20. 1 2 Laursen GA, Seppelt RD (2009). Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams: Fungi, Lichenicolous Fungi, Lichenized Fungi, Slime Molds, Mosses, and Liverworts. College, Alaska: University of Alaska Press. p. 96. ISBN   978-1-60223-058-3.
  21. ↑ Seaver FJ, Shope PF (1935). "New and noteworthy basidiomycetes from the central Rocky Mountain region". Mycologia. 27 (6): 642–51. doi:10.2307/3754178. JSTOR   3754178.
  22. ↑ Zeller SM. (1947). "More Notes on Gasteromycetes". Mycologia. 39 (3): 282–312. doi:10.2307/3755205. JSTOR   3755205.
  23. ↑ Redhead S. (1997). Macrofungi of British Columbia: Requirements for Inventory (PDF) (Report). Victoria, Canada: Ministry of Forests Research Program, B.C. Ministry of Environment. p. 96.

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