Instead of gills, these mushrooms have round sacs which hold the spore mass. Every time the spore case is tapped by rain droplets or curious people, billions of spores are puffed out through the hole at the top. The rays surrounding the spore case are formed by the splitting and curling of the thick outer skin of the fruiting body.

See also the Pear-Shaped Puffball.

© Eileen K. Seto

Geastrum saccatum

British Columbia, Canada - August, 1996

 



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