Stats

Lifespan: A few weeks
Size: Small
Diet: Decomposer
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Europe and North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Spores
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

The peeling puffball is a ground-dwelling fungus found across Europe and North America. Its spiny outer skin sheds in large sheets to reveal a smooth, spore-filled interior.

Life cycle

1.
spore
A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2.
mycelium
A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3.
fruiting body
A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Lycoperdaceae
Genus: Lycoperdon
Species: Lycoperdon marginatum