Podaxis Pistillaris

''Podaxis pistillaris'' is a xerophilic agaric mushroom related to the puffballs and inkcaps. It is commonly known as the desert shaggy mane. It grows to 11 cm tall and thrives in deserts and semi-deserts of North America, Australia, and South Africa.

Taxonomy

Older synonyms for this species include ''Lycoperdon pistillare'' L. (1771) and ''Scleroderma pistillare'' (L.) Pers. (1801).

The species' common name stems from its superficial resemblance to the shaggy mane, ''Coprinus comatus'', the deliquescing gills of which it lacks.

Description

The pod grows up to tall. It has a hard, woody stem. The large cap, which protects the blackish spore-bearing tissue, splits, and usually falls away at maturity, allowing the spores to be dispersed by wind.

The spore print is dark brown to black.

The spores are usually 10–14 (–16) by (8–) 9–12 μm broadly oval to sub-globose, smooth yellow to deep reddish-brown with a double wall, truncate base, and apical pore. Older spore measurements have varied considerably. Species from Australian collections appear to be more subglobose than those seen from the United States, raising the possibility that the latter are not the same species.

Organisation

It is an agaric, though it has lost hymenophoral organization and the ability to forcibly discharge its basidiospores and become "secotioid". Although considered by many to be a "stalked puffball", ''Podaxis pistillaris'' is more closely allied with the shaggy mane (''Coprinus comatus'') than with puffballs.

Distribution and habitat

Large numbers may appear after soaking rains. It thrives in deserts and semi-deserts of Australia and North America. It is often found on termite mounds in South Africa. In the Hawaiian Islands, it is frequently encountered along roadsides and in disturbed areas on the dry sides of the islands, especially in the Kona area of Hawaii and the Kihei area of Maui.

Uses

In Australia, it was used by many desert tribes to darken the white hair in old men's whiskers and for body painting. The fungus was presumably used by many desert Aboriginal peoples due to its distribution around drier areas of Australia. There are reports of its also being used as a fly repellent. Apart from the more common, ground-inhabiting ''P. pistillaris'', there is one other ''Podaxis'' species in Australia, ''P. beringamensis'', found on termite mounds; presumably both species were used.

The species is not poisonous, but is not commonly eaten.

Like many "puffballs," the species can be used to dye textiles, resulting in either a tan or a reddish hue. It requires an alkaline base, and many home dyers use ammonia. Urine was used in former times.Pers.comm. 1978. Weaver on the Dine reservation, Arizona, USA. ''in'' Soule, J.A. in press. Ethnobotany of Southwestern Plants. Tierra del Sol Institute Press.

Attempts at cultivation

Its cultivation is not currently feasible, as this species is highly adapted to its natural environment and cannot be successfully grown using traditional mushroom cultivation methods. Despite efforts to mimic its natural habitat—characterized by sandy soils, termite mounds, and arid climates—all attempts to cultivate this species under controlled conditions have yielded unfavorable results as reported by various researchers and mycology experts. ''Podaxis pistillaris'' has a unique ecological relationship with its environment, and its growth is influenced by complex factors that are difficult to replicate artificially.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q844279

Agaricaceae
Inedible fungi
Fungi of Australia
Fungi of Hawaii
Secotioid fungi
Fungi without expected TNC conservation status