- Species: Gigantea
- Genus: Calvatia
- Attributes
- Edible
- Typically seen in summer and fall
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.
All true puffballs are considered edible when immature, but can cause digestive upset if the spores have begun to form, as indicated by the color of the flesh being not pure white (first yellow, then brown). Immature gilled species still contained within their universal veil can be look alikes for puffballs. To distinguish puffballs from poisonous fungi, they must be cut open; edible puffballs will have a solid white interior.
Sourced 9/13/2020 from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvatia_gigantea