Warty, poisonous, and explosive. On first sight, the Common earthball might look like a potato, but it is not for eating. It is generally rounded, with no stem and dirty yellow to brown in colour, much like that of a potato. It has a rubbery, unpleasant smell. They can measure between 4–12cm across and 3–6cm tall. The tough skin is dirty-yellow to ochre-brown and covered in coarse, warty scales in irregular shapes. As the fungus matures, it can turn ochre-brown or green. The flesh inside a young earthball is whitish, sometimes with a pink-purple tinge. As it ages, the flesh becomes purple, brown to black with what looks like small white ‘veins’ running through it. When mature, the outer skin ruptures, creating a large, irregular opening which releases the spores which are then dispersed by wind and rain. They can be found growing through the leaf litter and under the Holly bushes on the Barff from early June to the end of November.