 Calostoma cinnabarinum is a species of gasteroid fungus in the family Sclerodermataceae , and is the type species of the genus Calostoma . It is known by several common names , including stalked puffball @-@ in @-@ aspic and gelatinous stalked @-@ puffball . The fruit body has a distinctive color and overall appearance , featuring a layer of yellowish jelly surrounding a bright red , spherical head approximately 2 centimeters ( 0 @.@ 8 in ) in diameter atop a red or yellowish brown spongy stipe 1 @.@ 5 to 4 cm ( 0 @.@ 6 to 2 in ) tall . The innermost layer of the head is the gleba , containing clear or slightly yellowish elliptical spores , measuring 14 – 20 micrometers ( µm ) long by 6 – 9 µm across . The spore surface features a pattern of small pits , producing a net @-@ like appearance . A widely distributed species , it grows naturally in eastern North America , Central America , northeastern South America , and East Asia . C. cinnabarinum grows on the ground in deciduous forests , where it forms mycorrhizal associations with oaks . 
