Blackening powder (Bovista nigrescens)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Agaricomycetidae (Agaricomycetes)
- Order: Agaricales (Agaric or Lamellar)
- Family: Agaricaceae (Champignon)
- Genus: Bovista (Porkhovka)
- Type: Bovista nigrescens (blackening fluff)
fruiting body:
Spherical, often somewhat flattened, the stem is absent, diameter 3-6 cm. The color of the young mushroom is white, then becomes yellowish. (When the outer white shell breaks, the fungus turns dark, almost black.) The flesh, like all puffballs, is white at first but darkens with age. When the spores mature, the upper part of the fruiting body ruptures, leaving an opening to release the spores.
Spore powder:
Brown.
Spread:
Porkhovka blackening grows from early summer to mid-September in forests of various types, in meadows, along roads, preferring rich soils.
Similar species:
A similar lead-gray powder differs both in smaller sizes and in a lighter (lead-gray, as the name implies) color of the inner shell. At some stages of development, this can also be confused with the common puffball (Scleroderma citrinum), which is distinguished by its black, very tough flesh, and coarser, warty skin.
Edibility:
In youth, while the pulp remains white, blackening powder is an edible mushroom of low quality, like all raincoats.