Dye-maker's False Puffball Pisolithus arhizus (Scopoli) Rauschert    Synonyms: Pisolithus arenarius, Pisolithus tinctorius.
Kingdom Fungi   >   Phylum Basidiomycota   >   Class Agaricomycetes   >   Order Boletales   >   Family Sclerodermataceae   >   Genus Pisolithus   

Status:

Found solitary or in groups on ground (often in infertile, sandy soil); mycorrhizal, especially with pines and oaks.

Description:

Fruiting body variable in shape, usually oval to club-shaped with a stalk-like rooting base; smooth; yellowish to brown. Outer layer splits irregularly, exposing spore cases embedded in a black gelatinous material; spores at maturity brown, powdery. (J. Solem, pers. comm.)

Relationships:

This species is an important mycorrhizal fungus for newly established pine forests. Like Thelephora, it is often inoculated onto pine roots. The blackish jelly has the capability of staining cloth with a bright olivaceous yellow pigment, which is quite valuable in the wool-dying industry. (L. Biechele, pers. comm.)

There are 13 records in the project database.

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Dye-maker's False Puffball in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/21/2013). Photo by Scott Housten. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball (interior and exterior of cut fruiting body) in Howard Co., Maryland (10/9/2018). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Howard Co., Maryland (11/8/2018). Photo includes fruiting body showing stalk-like, rooting, sterile base. Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Worcester Co., Maryland (10/30/2014). Photo by Lance Biechele. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Worcester Co., Maryland (10/30/2014). Photo by Lance Biechele. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Baltimore City, Maryland (8/20/2020). (c) Thomas Tooke, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by tmtooke via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Baltimore City, Maryland (8/20/2020). (c) Thomas Tooke, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by tmtooke via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/3/2021). (c) feepsfinds, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by feepsfinds via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Howard Co., Maryland (10/9/2018). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/3/2021). (c) feepsfinds, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by feepsfinds via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Howard Co., Maryland (10/9/2018). (c) Joanne and Robert Solem, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Joanne Solem. (MBP list)

Dye-maker's False Puffball in Talbot Co., Maryland (10/27/2019). (c) leahy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by leahy via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Spores collected from a Dye-maker's False Puffball specimen in Howard Co., Maryland (11/8/2018). Round, heavily warted, brown; measured 9.1-10.9 microns. Photo by Robert Solem. (MBP list)


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