Gleba facts for kids

Gleba is the soft, inner part of some fungi that holds their spores. Think of it like the inside of a fruit that contains seeds. You can find gleba in fungi like puffballs and stinkhorns. It's where the fungus makes and stores the tiny spores it uses to reproduce.

What is Gleba?

Gleba is a special part of certain fungi. It's usually a fleshy or powdery mass found inside the mushroom. Its main job is to produce and protect the spores. Spores are like tiny seeds that fungi use to spread and grow new fungi.

Gleba in Puffballs

Puffball fungi are a great example to see gleba. When a puffball is young, its gleba is firm and white. As the puffball gets older, the gleba changes. It becomes soft and then turns into a powdery mass of dark spores. When you step on a mature puffball, or it gets hit by rain, the spores puff out like smoke. This is how the fungus releases its spores into the air.

Gleba in Stinkhorns

Stinkhorns are another interesting type of fungus with gleba. Their gleba is often slimy and has a very strong, sometimes unpleasant, smell. This smell helps the fungus spread its spores. The bad odor attracts insects like flies. When the flies land on the slimy gleba, the sticky spores attach to their bodies. The flies then carry the spores to new places, helping the fungus reproduce.

Why is Gleba Important?

The gleba is very important for the reproduction of these fungi. It's the part that creates and holds the spores. Without the gleba, these fungi wouldn't be able to make new fungi. The way the gleba releases spores, whether by puffing out or by attracting insects, shows how clever nature is at spreading life.

Images for kids

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  The gleba of the "common earthball" (Scleroderma citrinum) has a dark color.

See also

In Spanish: Gleba (micología) para niños