Gleba: Inside the thick, white, outer layer, purple-grey, splashed with deep purple to olive-black, then disintegrating into flakes resembling cotton wool, always marbled with white.

Habitat & Distribution: In coniferous forests and fens, only on chalk-free soil; locally frequent.

Similar Species: The inedible, softer and lighter Scleroderma verrucosum. It has at its base a conspicuous root-like structure of yellowish-white mycelium. It is rarer than S. Citrinum.