| Ecology & Habitat | Saprotrophic,v Growing Singly or in small groups and can be found growing in forested areas and grasslands or directly on rotting wood. |
| Edibility, Taste & Odor | Toxic |
| Flesh | Yellowish-brown ball shaped fruiting body with a uniformly scaled surface, when cut in half a thin white flesh is revealed. The spore mass start out as off white, but quickly turns dark purple/black. |
| Spores | Purple/Brown, Purple/Black |
This is small brown puffball that is very common in woodlands and yards. Its name is derived from the Latin word “sclero” meaning hard and “derma” meaning skin, which refers to its tough outer layer. The rounded ball shaped fruiting bodies that can grow up to 10 cm in diameter, but are commonly less than half that size in my experience. The outer surface is yellowish brown, and covered in a somewhat uniform blanket of shallow scales. The insides may be white when very very young, but early on they will begin to turn purple and eventually purple black. Unlike some other puffballs, it will not have a hole at the top which releases spores. Instead, the entire fruiting body will split apart to release large clouds of spores. These are NOT edible puffballs. They will cause severe gastrointestinal upset if eaten.
