Pisolithus marmoratus at Clyde River Retreat

Horse Dung Fungus at Clyde River Retreat

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Identification history

Pisolithus marmoratus	27 Apr 2019	Pam
Pisolithus marmoratus	27 Apr 2019	Pam
Unidentified	26 Apr 2019	ClydeRiver

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Author's notes

Puff balls near the white toadstool previously entered. Both in the 'garden' of a house. Added photos of 'garden' to show 2 eucalypts. In first you might just see fungus at bottom of hedge where footpath meets access road.

11 comments

Pam wrote:

27 Apr 2019

This 'puff ball' is Pisolithus marmoratus. It is a mycorrhizal fungus so you may want to look at the nearby trees to have some idea of which ones it might be associated with. Pisolithus species are often used in inocculating the roots of Eucalyptus seedlings when establishing plantations. If you cut this in half it will look like its packed with creamy-yellow rice grain looking structures. These will be very tiny near the base where they are immature and increase in size as they mature further up the fungus. When mature they become light brown and powdery. Finally the top or the fungus erodes away releasing its spores.

ClydeRiver wrote:

27 Apr 2019

We mostly have peppermint gum in this area, though we do have a very wide variety of gums which flower at different times - which is why a bee keeper likes to use our property for his hives - there is one very large gum tree near this spot which I will try to identify ...

ClydeRiver wrote:

9 May 2019

When I looked at this again a couple of days ago it was just about as large as a cricket ball ...

Pam wrote:

9 May 2019

Yes, this species can become rather large! They have been know to lift the tar at the edge of roads. A maintenance officer for the RAF told me that they caused him no end of problems when he was working in the NT because they were for ever breaking up the surface of the RAF's runway. Impressive....

ClydeRiver wrote:

9 May 2019

Yes indeed! I suppose the heat there would have assisted in melting the tarmacadam too.

ClydeRiver wrote:

6 Jul 2019

I have just taken a look at this fungus. It has now rolled away with its longish stem attached - I had not noticed a stem previously. The broken top surface is of a dark ochre - like the inside of cow dung or perhaps, curry powder.

Pam wrote:

7 Jul 2019

With that additional information you can now make a positive identification!!! Which will mean a change of species name. We live, we learn! You put it up and I'll confirm it. How do you feel about that?!

ClydeRiver wrote:

7 Jul 2019

OK - so I put the same complete image again ... Plus I go and take a photo as it is now ... Done.
Hold on to your horses' (dung).

Pam wrote:

7 Jul 2019

You are such good value!

ClydeRiver wrote:

7 Jul 2019

OK but I can't see where you have written what the curry coloured dust/spores indicates - so you tell me what indicates what ...

ClydeRiver wrote:

27 Aug 2019

I am seeing so many of these now ... particularly down our driveway ...