giant puffball
Calvatia gigantea
A single giant puffball can contain up to 7 trillion spores; if every spore grew into a fungus, they would circle the Earth three times.
- Scientific name
- Calvatia gigantea
- Taxonomy
- Fungi › Basidiomycota › Agaricomycetes › Agaricales › Lycoperdaceae › Calvatia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Meadows, fields, and deciduous forest edges with nutrient-rich soil.
- Diet
- Saprotrophic (decomposes organic matter in the soil).
- Range
- North America, Europe, Western Asia
- Size
- 10 to 70 centimeters in diameter, occasionally exceeding 1 meter.
- Lifespan
- Fruiting body lasts 2-4 weeks; underground mycelium lives for years.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture and land development.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and edible when the interior is pure white. If the inside has turned yellow, green, or brown, do not consume. Avoid intentionally kicking mature puffballs to release spore clouds, as inhaling large quantities of spores can cause respiratory irritation or lycoperdonosis.
Calvatia gigantea , commonly known as the giant puffball , is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests usually in late summer and autumn. It is found in temperate areas throughout the world.
Photo: Yehor Yatsiuk, CC0, via iNaturalist
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