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[ Basidiomycota > Boletales > Sclerodermataceae > Scleroderma . . . ] Scleroderma areolatum by Michael Kuo, 2 June 2025 This widely distributed Scleroderma species probably requires microscopic analysis for certain identification, since several similar species share most of its visible features: a leopard-skin pattern of small brownish scales over a yellowish background, a blackish interior, and a brownish to reddish reaction when a drop of KOH is applied to the outer surface. A look at the spores of Scleroderma areolatum, however, narrows down the other possibilities. The spores are densely spiny but not reticulate, measuring 10–13 µm (excluding ornamentation), with spines up to 2 µm long. Scleroderma verrucosum has smaller spores (8–10 µm), and this difference is the best means for separating it from areolatum, although some authors maintain there is a consistently better developed stem structure in verrucosum, along with slightly larger fruiting bodies. In North America, also compare Scleroderma areolatum with Scleroderma michiganense, which has less prominent scales and reticulate spores—and with Scleroderma floridanum, which has partially reticulate spores and tends to open up into a star shape at maturity. Scleroderma lycoperdoides is a synonym. Description: Ecology: Mycorrhizal with hardwoods, especially oaks and beech; growing gregariously from spring through fall, or over winter in warm climates; originally described from Germany (Ehrenberg 1818); widely distributed in Europe and North America; reported from the Caribbean, South America, Oceania, and Asia. The illustrated and described collections are from Colorado, Illinois, and Tennessee. Fruiting Body: 1–4 cm across; more or less round; surface yellowish to yellowish brown, sometimes bruising red, developing small, brown, fibrillose scales, often in a "leopard skin" pattern; rind 1–4 mm thick, white, staining slowly pink when sliced; spore mass white and fleshy at first, becoming purplish black and eventually powdery; pseudostem sometimes present, 1–2 cm long, whitish; with white rhizomorphs attached to the base. Odor: Fragrant, or not distinctive. Chemical Reactions: KOH red to orangish red or pink on surface. Microscopic Features: Spores 10–13 µm excluding ornamentation; globose or subglobose; densely spiny with spines 1–2 µm long; not reticulate; yellow-brown in KOH. Nutrient cells often present; subglobose to irregular; hyaline in KOH. Clamp connections not found in peridial hyphae. REFERENCES: C. G. Ehrenberg, 1818. (Smith, 1951; Guzmán, 1970; Phillips, 1981; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Guzmán-Dávalos & Guzmán, 1985; Breitenbach & Kränzlin, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Schalkwijk-Barendsen, 1991; Horn, Kay & Abel, 1993; Sims, Watling & Jeffries, 1995; Barron, 1999; McNeil, 2006; Buczacki et al., 2012; Guzmán et al., 2013; Kuo & Methven, 2014; Siegel & Schwarz, 2016; Kibby, 2017; Mrak et al., 2017; Jeppson, 2018; Læssøe & Petersen, 2019.) Herb. Kuo 06150801, 08101301, 10261704. This site contains no information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms. |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2025, June). Scleroderma areolatum. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: /scleroderma_areolatum.html |