White fungus ball

White fungus balls appear in various shapes and sizes, meaning that there are many kinds. There are mainly three groups, viz. firstly puffballs related to mushrooms, releasing their spores in small clouds and representing more than 20 fungus species, secondly a kind of stinkhorn that presents a white ball when immature and thirdly the tiny white eggs of various fungi, mere immature fungal molds containing spores.

Fungi grow symbiotically on the roots of many plants. The balls may be benign or harmful to plants. The white balls tend to occur in soil containing large organic content when temperatures are high and much moisture is present. As these fungi may proliferate in soil that is overly composted or too wet, their presence can be reduced by removing the causes (Stoneman, 1928; https://plantamerica.com; https://plantophiles.com).