What does a puffball fungus look like?

Puffballs are round or pear-shaped fruiting bodies that contain spores. They sit directly on the ground or on rotten wood. They range from golf ball size to as large as a watermelon. A big specimen of the giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea) can be almost two feet long and contain 7,000,000,000,000 (7 trillion) spores.

How do you identify a puffball?

Correct Identification The inside of edible puffball mushrooms should be pure white, like a marshmallow, or like fresh mozzarella balls, there should be no patterns, or marks or colors or anything other than pure white, and especially no signs of gills.

How do you get rid of puffball fungus?

Individual mushrooms or puffballs may be removed temporarily by mowing or breaking them off. Both mushrooms and puffballs will usually reappear until their food source is used up. If possible, it is best to remove the organic food source from the soil.

Is there a fungus that looks like a puffball?

A note of caution for newcomers to fungal foraging: there are ball-shaped fungi known as earthballs, and some of them can look quite similar to Common Puffballs; however, their spore-bearing inner material starts off very pale grey and gradually becomes brown or black as the spores mature.

How big does a giant puffball mushroom get?

Do not eat any fungi that has not been properly identified by a qualified professional, some are DEADLY when ingested. All edible wild fungi MUST be cooked. The giant puffball typically grows in width and height anywhere between 10 and 70 cm (about 4” to 27”) and can weigh several kilograms.

Where can I find a giant puffball plant?

This puffball is often found at the edges of fields, and in rank vegetation in nutrient-rich waste ground and on woodland edges. Although not common, the giant puffball is found in open woodlands. Giant puffballs grow in many locations throughout Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. Olive brown.

How to tell if a puffball is edible?

Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) is a wild, edible fungi. Identify giant puffball via pictures, habitat, height, spore print, gills and colour.