Giant Puffball

How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?

My ID Features:

In Situ

Cross Section

As a whole

Small for how big they actually get! A happy forager nonetheless.

Giant Puffball

Latin Name - Calvatia Gigantea.

Common names - Giant Puffball.

Family - Agaricaceae.

Season - Summer

Spore print - Yellow or Olive Brown. Though this fungi shouldn’t be eaten when in spore.

Habitat - Grasslands, pasture, lawns and also deciduous woods.

Possible Confusion - One should be most cautious of the Earthball [Scleroderma citrinum]. The Earthball is toxic, causing abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Though you’re unlikely to confuse the two mushrooms with a good cross section. The Earthball is dark inside and grows much, much smaller than Giant Puffball (pictured below).

Picture of the Common Earthball [Credit]

Be Cautious…

We have seen reports of people confusing puffball species in the past for immature deadly amanita species. However, upon cutting a cross section, an embryonic mushroom would be visible if that were the case.

Cross Section, Amanita Phalloides (Death Cap) [source]

Small Giant Puffballs could also be easily confused with other puffballs, but all of the UK’s true puffball species are edible. Again, none of them growing to the gigantuous size of Calvatia Gigantea.

Description - The Giant Puffball, can grow to 80cm diameter and weigh several kilograms! They are easy to spot, from a distance they’ve been mistaken for sheep! It’s taken me 14 years of mushroom searching and in-car safaris looking into fields in search of them. Yet some people seem to find them regularly, lucky people. It’s said that they grow annually in the same place. Though we’ve heard varying reports of this from other foragers. Nonetheless, we’ll be checking our new found spot again next year.

The Giant Puffball produces trillions of spores. I once heard that if a family of Puffy’s all laid down enough viable mycelia, their fruiting bodies would be enough to cover the entire surface of the sun. Who knows whether this is true. Either way, the earth would be a very different place if each spore did produce a mushroom.

On that note, breathing in the spores can cause Lycoperdonosis a nasty lung disease. If you identify that the fungi have gone to spore (the inside is no longer pure white), then leave well alone.

Giant P is reminiscent of somewhere between a marshmallow and tofu in texture, they’re most commonly turned in to schnitzel’s. They’re pretty redundant in flavour, but make up for it in their unique texture.

Physical Characteristics - A large, slightly flattened irregularly rounded fruiting body. Initially white, the Giant Puffball has a lumpy and leathery surface. Usually cratered by the odd insect having a nibble, making it look like a celestial body. Usually wrinkled near the base, where it is connected to the substrate by a root-like mycelial cord. Which does remind us of an umbilical cord. Due to their monstrous size their really isn’t anything your going to confuse this fungi for once it’s reaching maturity.

Harvesting Sustainability - Don’t take them all. Leave some to go to spore.

Medicinal Qualities - When cut in to thin strips this fungi can be used as a styptic dressing to stem the bleeding of wounds. It is also the main source of the anti-tumor mucoprotein calvacin, though in very small quantities. They’re rich in protein and low in calories and also very filling. Although once deep fried or cooked in butter, I’m not sure this health benefit balances.

It’s said they can also lower your cholesterol, increase your cardiovascular health and boost your immune system.

Important note - Due to nature of these mushrooms growing close to the ground. Be sure to pick away from human and animal ‘interaction’.

Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.

Now For The Tasty Bit!

Here Are Our Delicious Recipes…