Habitat and Range
Scleroderma texense is not known to occur in the Pacific Northwest, but is similar: differentiated by the scales on the peridium (conspicuously cracked-scaly with scales flat or subpyramidal, irregular in form, reaching more than 0.2cm in diameter and overlapping), the thickness of the walls of the peridial hyphae (more than 1 micron in the outer layer of the peridium, in S. polyrhizum thin or thick in this layer but not as conspicuous as in S. texense), and the reaction of the spore mass with KOH (yellow to reddish rose, none in S. polyrhizum), (Guzman, but a note in Sims indicates that the spores in the type material of S. texense are actually echinulate and not subreticulate, and also that the peridium of S. texense is squarrose and the spore mass distinctive fuscous black, differentiating it from Scleroderma cepa with scaly to coarsely cracked peridium and mouse-gray spore mass). Scleroderma cepa, Scleroderma laeve, and Scleroderma albidum have non-reticulate spores. Scleroderma areolatum and Scleroderma verrucosum have distinct scales, non-reticulate spores and dehiscence is rarely star-like. Scleroderma floridanum has a surface covered in irregular scales and cracks (Sims). Scleroderma citrinum has scales in rosettes and spores that often but not always have a well defined reticulum (Sims). Scleroderma bovista and Scleroderma hypogaeum have larger spores with a well defined reticulum. Scleroderma polyrhizon might be mistaken for large cup fungus such as Sarcosphaera but usually has some powdery spore mass to distinguish it, (Arora). Earthstars have an inner spore case (Arora). Mycenastrum corium has "a thick white felty outer peridium and a smooth, purple-brown inner one which splits into lobes at maturity", (Arora).underground when spherical, above ground when opened, gregarious in pastures, rarely in woods, (Guzman), single or in groups "on or partially buried in sandy soil, often along roads or on hillsides", August-November, (Bessette), forms underground, single to clustered, "on hard clay or sandy soil under hardwoods, in lawns, or on bare soil", late summer and fall, (McKnight), rare under deciduous trees (Ramsey), "on hillsides, along roads, in ditches, poor soil, sand, asphalt, gravel, etc.", (Arora)