6.
the endoperidium is dark with darker spines
and so far recorded only from the Danbury
area.
Lycoperdon pyriforme
is the only Lycoperdon
that grows directly
on wood to which it
is attached by long
white mycelial cords.
The exoperidium con-
sists of warts which
easily rub off and it
is one of our
commonest woodland
Puffballs.
Two rarer Lycoperdon species are
L. molle and L. echinatum both with a purple-
chocolate gleba when mature. The former soon
loses its spines leaving the shiny endoperidium
while the latter bears very long conspicuous
spines, giving it a real "hedgehog" appearance.
The small L. spadiceum may also occur in Essex.
It is a puffball of open ground with no
distinct spines and a shiny yellowish endoperi-
dium.
In VASCELLUM the gleba and subgleba are
sharply separated by a definite diaphragm.
The small V. pratense is common among grass.
It has a rather top—shaped appearance and
dries to a pinkish-cream colour.
Closely related to
the puffballs, and still
included in the survey are
the Earth-balls, SCLERODERMA
species. S. citrinum;is
the common one in Essex,