Peeling Puffball (Lycoperdon Marginatum/Mixtecoru by cherokee69

Photography • Macro • posted on Nov 15, 2004

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Description

A smallish puffball covered in spiny warts. As it matures, the spiny warts flake off in sheets from the underlying peridium, revealing a smooth-skinned puffball beneath. While I was trying to find out what these were, I found the following... "Many plants used in the magico religious ceremonies more than 400 years ago by the Aztecs and as much as 2000 years earlier by their ancestors the Olmecs and Toltecs, and quite possibly the Mayan people, are still in use today. These include.... ...puffballs (Lycoperdon mixtecorum) or (Lycoperdon marginatum). The former is referred to as "gi-i-sa-wa" and means "fungus of the first quality" and the latter implies "fungus of the second quality." It has been reported that they cause auditory hallucinations. Use of these alleged puffball inebriants occurs primarily among the Mixtec shamans." ...from Mushroom John's Shroom World Not many mushrooms or puffballs around here now..to cold..but I have more that were taken when the weather was warmer. Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last upload, "Lycoperdon pyriforme, the wolf-fart puffball" !! Many thanks, Cherokee