Common earthball
Scleroderma citrinum · Earthballs (Scleroderma)
Poisonous
Poisonous. Was once mixed into truffles – truffles grow underground and look different inside.
Recognise it safely – what matters
- Cut it open: dark inside, marbled violet-black
- Thick, hard, cracked skin
- No stem
Features
- Cap
- Tuber-shaped, 3–10 cm, yellowish ochre with a coarsely cracked, warty surface; thick, hard skin (2–4 mm).
- Underside
- No gills or tubes.
- Stem
- No stem, only a root-like base.
- Flesh
- Violet-black with white marbling even when young – never pure white.
- Smell
- Metallic, gassy
- Spore print
- Black-brown
Season
JFMAMJJASOND
Habitat
Acidic, sandy soils in forests, heaths and on path edges, often half buried.
Dąb, Brzoza, Sosna, Buk
Risk of confusion
Purchawica olbrzymia Edible species Giant puffballs are pure white inside when young, like mozzarella, have a thin skin and grow much larger.
Trufla Edible species Truffles grow underground, their inside is veined light and dark, not violet-black.
If someone has eaten it
Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, circulatory problems. First symptoms: usually after 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Act immediately – even without symptoms:
- Emergency number 112 if someone feels unwell.
- Poison centre: Germany – area code of the nearest city with a poison centre + 19240 (e.g. Berlin 030 19240, Munich 089 19240) · Austria +43 1 406 43 43 · Switzerland 145.
- Keep leftovers, trimmings or vomit – it helps with identification.
Never identify mushrooms by pictures or an app alone. When in doubt, ask a mushroom expert – and only pick what you know for sure.