A Common Earthball in Frederick Co., Maryland (6/29/2014).

View Record Details Photo by Richard Orr MBP List

Common Earthball (fruiting body) in Howard Co., Maryland (7/29/2014).

Photo by Joanne Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/24/2017). Determined by Jo Solem.

View Record Details Photo by Anne Looker MBP List

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (7/10/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 186931 - Psn: 35)

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (7/10/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Emilio Concari MBP List

Common Earthball (cut surface showing mature spores) in Howard Co., Maryland (6/23/2009).

Photo by Robert Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2009). Photo shows fruiting body with opening for spore release

Photo by Robert Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Howard, Maryland (7/27/2011). Photo shows mature spores within old fruiting bodies.

Photo by Joanne Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/26/2018).

View Record Details Photo by Ashley Bradford MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/7/2019). (c) Serenella Linares, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'>CC BY</a>). (Photo ID: 420977 - Psn: 42)

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/7/2019). (c) Serenella Linares, some rights reserved (CC BY).

View Record Details Photo by Serenella Linares via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/28/2018). Determined by Jo Solem.

View Record Details Photo by Anne Looker MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/15/2020). (c) amytsnyder, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 190063 - Psn: 45)

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/15/2020). (c) amytsnyder, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by amytsnyder via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (9/5/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 213824 - Psn: 45)

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (9/5/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Emilio Concari MBP List

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (11/13/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 309827 - Psn: 45)

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (11/13/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Emilio Concari MBP List

A Common Earthball in Worcester Co., Maryland (10/5/2014).

View Record Details Photo by Lance Biechele MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/7/2019). (c) Serenella Linares, some rights reserved (CC BY).

View Record Details Photo by Serenella Linares via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (8/12/2017).

View Record Details Photo by Joanne Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/17/2018). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 214506 - Psn: 76)

Common Earthball in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/17/2018). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Matthew Beziat MBP List

Common Earthball in Charles Co., Maryland (8/6/2019). (c) mkgammon, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 177563 - Psn: 78)

Common Earthball in Charles Co., Maryland (8/6/2019). (c) mkgammon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by mkgammon via iNaturalist MBP List

A Common Earthball in winter in Howard Co., Maryland (12/18/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

Spores of Common Earthball in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Cindi Fitzgerald, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 1151675 - Psn: 103)

Spores of Common Earthball in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Cindi Fitzgerald, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by cin579 via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball spores collected from a specimen in Howard, Maryland (7/29/2014). Round, strongly reticulate; measured 11.4-13.9 microns.

Photo by Robert Solem MBP List

Common Earthball in Washington Co., Maryland (10/4/2020). (c) smuller, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 306863 - Psn: 125)

Common Earthball in Washington Co., Maryland (10/4/2020). (c) smuller, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Sue Muller MBP List

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/28/2020). (c) Rin, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>). (Photo ID: 224932 - Psn: 200)

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/28/2020). (c) Rin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA).

View Record Details Photo by rinwolfe via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/26/2018). (c) Ashley M Bradford, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 256198 - Psn: 200)

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/26/2018). (c) Ashley M Bradford, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Ashley Bradford MBP List

Common Earthball in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/10/2017). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'>CC BY</a>). (Photo ID: 268771 - Psn: 200)

Common Earthball in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/10/2017). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY).

View Record Details Photo by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) thierola, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 295803 - Psn: 200)

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) thierola, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by thierola via iNaturalist MBP List

Common Earthball in Frederick Co., Maryland (8/30/2025). (c) johnbotany, all rights reserved. (Photo ID: 1339450 - Psn: 200)

View Record Details Photo by John Hall MBP List

Map Snapshot

230 Records

GA AL WA FR CL MO HO BA BC HA CE PG AA CV CH SM KE QA CN TA DO WI SO WO

Status

A very common earthball in Maryland. Common Earthball grows solitary or in groups on the ground or on decaying wood in forests.

Description

The fruiting body of Common Earthball is typically some shade of brown and covered in coarse, raised scales in an irregular polygonal pattern. The outer layer is thick and tough. The flesh starts off firm and white when young and matures to a purple or nearly black mass of spores. The upper surface breaks open to expose the spores but does not separate into lobes (like the Earthstar Puffball, Scleroderma polyrhizum).

Relationships

Sometimes attacked by Parasitic Bolete (Boletus parasiticus), a small bolete that may have several fruiting bodies attached to one puffball. The exact relationship between the two species is not fully understood. (L. Biechele, pers. comm.)

Seasonality Summary

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Resources

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Citations

No citations linked for this taxon yet.

Eating mushrooms can be dangerous. One should do so only with expert advice and great care. MBP accepts no liability for injury sustained in consuming fungi or other biodiversity. Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

A Common Earthball in Frederick Co., Maryland (6/29/2014). View Record Details Media by Richard Orr.

Common Earthball (fruiting body) in Howard Co., Maryland (7/29/2014). Media by Joanne Solem.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/24/2017). Determined by Jo Solem. View Record Details Media by Anne Looker.

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (7/10/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Emilio Concari.

Common Earthball (cut surface showing mature spores) in Howard Co., Maryland (6/23/2009). Media by Robert Solem.

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (9/13/2009). Photo shows fruiting body with opening for spore release Media by Robert Solem.

Common Earthball in Howard, Maryland (7/27/2011). Photo shows mature spores within old fruiting bodies. Media by Joanne Solem.

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/26/2018). View Record Details Media by Ashley Bradford.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/7/2019). (c) Serenella Linares, some rights reserved (CC BY). View Record Details Media by Serenella Linares via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/28/2018). Determined by Jo Solem. View Record Details Media by Anne Looker.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/15/2020). (c) amytsnyder, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by amytsnyder via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (9/5/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Emilio Concari.

Common Earthball in Carroll Co., Maryland (11/13/2020). (c) Emilio Concari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Emilio Concari.

A Common Earthball in Worcester Co., Maryland (10/5/2014). View Record Details Media by Lance Biechele.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (8/7/2019). (c) Serenella Linares, some rights reserved (CC BY). View Record Details Media by Serenella Linares via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball in Howard Co., Maryland (8/12/2017). View Record Details Media by Joanne Solem.

Common Earthball in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/17/2018). (c) Matthew Beziat, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Matthew Beziat.

Common Earthball in Charles Co., Maryland (8/6/2019). (c) mkgammon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by mkgammon via iNaturalist.

A Common Earthball in winter in Howard Co., Maryland (12/18/2015). View Record Details Media by Bonnie Ott.

Spores of Common Earthball in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Cindi Fitzgerald, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by cin579 via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball spores collected from a specimen in Howard, Maryland (7/29/2014). Round, strongly reticulate; measured 11.4-13.9 microns. Media by Robert Solem.

Common Earthball in Washington Co., Maryland (10/4/2020). (c) smuller, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Sue Muller.

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/28/2020). (c) Rin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA). View Record Details Media by rinwolfe via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/26/2018). (c) Ashley M Bradford, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Ashley Bradford.

Common Earthball in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/10/2017). (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). View Record Details Media by Katja Schulz via iNaturalist.

Common Earthball in Montgomery Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) thierola, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by thierola via iNaturalist.