cyan-biologist:
“Giant puffball -  Calvatica gigantea The Giant puffball is a type of puffball mushroom, known for its sometimes giant fruiting-body proportions. Older specimens can be much bigger than the young fruiting-body seen above, sometimes...

cyan-biologist:

Giant puffball - Calvatica gigantea

The Giant puffball is a type of puffball mushroom, known for its sometimes giant fruiting-body proportions. Older specimens can be much bigger than the young fruiting-body seen above, sometimes reaching to 70 cm in diameter, but there are records of 150 cm-diameter puffballs with a staggering weight of 20 kilograms.

When the fungus matures, it will turn brown from the spores it is producing. The puffballs are generally lightweight and have almost no stalk, so they can freely roll in the wind to release their spores. 

The immature Giant puffballs are edible, and apparently have the texture and taste of tofu. Slugs and other bottom-dwelling organism feed on the fruiting-body, so check for spores and marks of other animals before eating.

Fungi - Basidiomycota - Agaricomycetes - Agaricales - Lycoperdaceae - Calvatia - C. gigantea

Photo-credits:
Own photo (The puffball is literally located 20 meters from my house).
References:
(x)

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