Puff Balls

The tropical fungus Scleroderma sinnamariense has afforded methyl 2, 5 -dichloro-4,4 -di-0-methylatromentate (2196) (1979), and the related pulvinic acid derivative methyl 3, 5,-dichloro-4.4 -di-0-methylatromentate (2197) was isolated from the fruiting body of a Scleroderma sp. ( poison puff ball ) (1980). A New Zealand Chamonixia pachydermis has yielded pachydermin (2198) (1981). 

Fig. 147.— A colony of Puff Balls, Lycoperdon, growing saprophyticaUy upon a portion of a rotten log. (Photograph by author.)...

Capillit ium.—A network of filaments among spores, as in slime molds, puff balls, etc. 

Groundsel is a common weed in disturbed ground such as gardens and road sides. The stems are leafy, erect and the yellow leaves are deeply and irregularly toothed. The yellow flowers cluster at the ends of stems and have a white puff-ball seed head like that of dandelion. 

When the puff balls Calvatia lilacina and C. craniformis are grown in culture they exude into the broth the antifungal and antibacterial arylazoxycyanide, calvatic acid (554) 270, 671). With diazomethane the pale yellow compound (554) formed a methyl ester (555) which was hydrolysed to the derivative (556) with hydrogen chloride in moist ether. The azoxy compound (556) has been synthesised starting from /7-aminobenzoic acid (Scheme 94). The structure and stereochemistry... 

The white fruit bodies of the North American puff ball Calvatia rubro-flava turn golden yellow when the toadstools are touched or dried. The dried fruit bodies contain a unique group of benzoquinone semicarbazone pigments 250). These compounds may be isolated from the fungus by extraction with methanol and % have been purified by column chromatography on Sephadex LH-20 followed by preparative thin layer chromatography on silica gel. 

Geiser M, Leupin N, Maye I, Im Hof V, Gehr P. Retention of puff ball (Calvatia excipuliformis) spores in the intrapulmonary conducting airways of hamsters (abstr). Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997 155 A955. 

Puff-puff, soft, golden brown balls of wheat flour batter fried in deep fat, is a major snack food in most African countries. The... 

The diazide is not detonated by a 2g ball dropping 25cm, and puffs off above 190°... 

Teach the child to take a puff of the cromolyn inhaler 15 minutes before playing ball. 

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