Earthstar Puffball Scleroderma geaster Fr. syn. Scleroderma polyrhizon Pers. Fruit body 5-10cm across, subglobose, flattened on top, tapering below into a stem-like base with a large basal mycelial mass binding together the soil into a large mass. Surface of the very thick cuticle a dirty tan-brown to ochre; roughened, granular, splitting into irregular star-like segments, soon peeling back to a varying extent, exposing the blackish cracked inner surface. Spore mass deep purple-brown; powdery. Spores globose, warted, 5-10 x 5-l0µ. Habitat at first almost completely below ground, pushing up through sandy soils. Found in Europe and widely distributed in North America. Season August-November. Not edible.