Fungi › puffballs
giant puffball
Calvatia gigantea
29 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Purple-spored PuffballCalvatia cyathiformis
Western Giant PuffballCalvatia booniana
Mosaic puffballLycoperdon utriforme
Brain puffballCalvatia craniiformis
common puffballLycoperdon perlatum
birch polyporeFomitopsis betulina
Pestle PuffballLycoperdon excipuliforme
Meadow PuffballLycoperdon pratense
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 15,738 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 8,660 |
| Canada | 3,458 |
| Ontario | 3,071 |
| New York | 1,418 |
| Illinois | 1,157 |
| Ohio | 1,113 |
| Minnesota | 1,031 |
| Wisconsin | 889 |
| Pennsylvania | 854 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Ecological
- DecomposerBreaks down dead organic matter, recycling nutrientsFrom its classification
Group and habits
- Puffball fungus formDescends from a fungal lineage whose members are typically puffballs.Inferred from its group
Classification
| Kingdom | Fungi Including Lichens · Fungi |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Basidiomycete Fungi · Basidiomycota |
| Class | Mushrooms, Bracket Fungi, Puffballs, and Allies · Agaricomycetes |
| Order | Common Gilled Mushrooms and Allies · Agaricales |
| Family | puffballs · Lycoperdaceae |
| Genus | Calvatia |
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise giant puffball with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.