Sponsored by
Giant puffball mushrooms can reach the size of footballs, according to Sussex Wildlife Trust
Giant puffball by Neil Fletcher
There is a mushroom so big, it can reach the size of a football.
It is of couse none other than the giant puffball mushroom and people out in the Sussex countryside may have spotted them during a warm wet September and October.
According the Sussex Wildlife Trust, the fruitbody of this fungus is so huge, that from a distance it has even been mistaken for a sleeping sheep.
The wildlife charity shared these interesting facts about the giant puffball:
Found in grassy habitats including wood edges, fields, lawns, golf courses and parks, these fungi produce massive fruitbodies, often the size of footballs and sometimes much larger. The largest British specimen ever measured was 162 cm in circumference
They start off white, the flesh discolours to yellow and then pale olive-brown with a matt, velvety surface that is somewhat like kid leather to the touch
when mature trillions of microscopic spores emerge as the outer wall cracks open, often in response to rain drops or physical disturbance by animals or humans.
In the past giant puffballs were used medicinally to reduce bleeding and for wound dressing. The anti-cancer agent calvacin has also been isolated from young fruitbodies.
Once used for tinder and also in beekeeping – fumes from smouldering fruitbodies placed beneath the hive calm the bees and allow easier access to the hive for the beekeeper.
Visit www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk or alternatively if you have a wildlife query ring Sussex Wildlife Trust’s information hotline - WildCall - on 01273 494777.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Lewes to Uckfield rail link is moving further down the track
- Bandit breaks back into Drusillas Zoo after three week ‘vacation’ in Alfriston area
- BREAKING NEWS: Polegate priest receives 10 year sentence for the “systematic” sexual assault of young boys and girls.
- UPDATE: A27 eastbound lane near Lewes now reopened
- Part of St Thomas a Becket Church in Lewes in danger of collapse
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Lewes
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
