''Pisolithus arhizus'' is a widespread earth-ball like fungus, which may in fact be several closely related species. Common names include dead man's foot and dyeball. It is known in Australia as the horse dung fungus, in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

as perdebal, and in Europe as the Bohemian truffle. This

puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that bursts on impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores when mature. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass several genera, including '' Calvatia'', '' ...

's black viscous gel is used as a

natural dye Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood—and other biological sources such as fungi. Archae ...

for clothes. ''Pisolithus arhizus'' is a major component in mycorrhizal fungus mixtures that are used in gardening as powerful root stimulators. It is inedible. The

fruiting body The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cy ...

is 5–30 cm tall and 4–20 cm wide, with a thin yellow-brown to brown exterior layer. The

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

are brown. '' Dictyocephalos attenuatus'' is similar.

References

External links

''Pisolithus tinctorius''
Boletales Fungi described in 1786 Inedible fungi {{Boletales-stub