Calvatia gigantea

Calvatia gigantea

Taxobox
name = Giant puffball



image_width = 200px
image_caption = Giant puffball with object for scale
regnum = Fungi
divisio = Basidiomycota
classis = Agaricomycetes
ordo = Lycoperdales
familia = Lycoperdaceae
genus = "Calvatia"
species = "C. gigantea"
binomial = "Calvatia gigantea"
binomial_authority = (Batsch ex Pers.) Lloyd
mycomorphbox
name = Calvatia gigantea
whichGills = NA
capShape = no
hymeniumType= gleba
stipeCharacter= NA
ecologicalType=mycorrhizal
sporePrintColor=brown
howEdible=edible

"Calvatia gigantea", commonly known as the Giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests worldwide usually in late summer and autumn. It is common throughout Europe and North America.

Description

Most giant puffballs grow to be convert|10|to|70|cm|in in diameter, although occasionally some can reach diameters up to convert|150|cm|in and weights of convert|20|kg|lb. The inside of the mature Giant puffballs is greenish brown, whereas the interior of immature puffballs is white. The large white mushrooms are edible when young. To distinguish giant puffballs from other species, they must be cut open; edible puffballs will have a solid white interior. Some similar mushrooms have the white interior (or yellowish) but also have the silhouette of a cap-type mushroom on the interior when cut open. These are young cap-type mushrooms and may be poisonous.

The fruiting body of a puffball mushroom will develop within the period of a few weeks and soon begin to decompose and rot, at which point it is dangerous to eat. Unlike most mushrooms, all the spores of the giant puffball are created inside the fruiting body; large specimens can easily contain several trillion spores. Spores are yellowish, smooth, and convert|3|to|5|um|in in size. The dry spores can be used as a coagulant to help stop bleeding.

The classification of this species has been revised in recent years, as the formerly recognized class Gasteromycetes, which included all puffballs, has been found to be polyphyletic. Some authors place the giant puffball and other members of genus "Calvatia" in order Agaricales. Also, the species has in the past been placed in two other genera, "Lycoperdon" and "Langermannia".

Cooking

All members of the true puffball family are considered edible, but be sure to cut the young ones open to make sure there are no gills hidden inside.

Some claim the meat tastes very similar to tofu or melted cheese when cooked. To prepare, remove any brown portions and tough skin, which sometimes peels off easily. Do not soak in anything. Puffballs may be sauteed, broiled, or breaded and fried; they do not dehydrate well, but may be cooked and then frozen.

Resembles

The deadly amanitas have a volva or "universal veil" that completely envelops the young mushrooms. Before bursting forth from the volva, they look like little round puffball mushrooms.Fact|date=September 2008

Additionally, puffballs resemble the earthball ("Scleroderma citrinum"). The latter are distinguished by a much firmer, elastic fruiting body, and as an interior that becomes dark purplish-black with white reticulation early in development.


=

References

External links

* [http://americanmushrooms.com/edibles3.htm AmericanMushrooms.com: The Giant Puffball]
* [http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/aug98.html The Giant Puffball]
* [http://www.cirrusimage.com/fungi_giant_puffball.htm Giant Puffball Photo and Write up]
* [http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/mushrooms/Lycoperdaceae.htm Lycoperdaceae: The True Puffball Family]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Calvatia gigantea — noun huge edible puffball up to 2 feet diameter and 25 pounds in weight • Syn: ↑giant puffball • Hypernyms: ↑puffball, ↑true puffball • Member Holonyms: ↑Calvatia, ↑genus Calvatia …   Useful english dictionary

  • Calvatia — Taxobox name = Calvatia image width = 240px image caption = Calvatia excipuliformis regnum = Fungi divisio = Basidiomycota classis = Agaricomycetes ordo = Lycoperdales familia = Lycoperdaceae genus = Calvatia genus authority = Fr. subdivision… …   Wikipedia

  • Calvatia — noun genus of puffballs having outer casings whose upper parts break at maturity into angular pieces to expose the spores • Syn: ↑genus Calvatia • Hypernyms: ↑fungus genus • Member Holonyms: ↑Lycoperdaceae, ↑family Lycoperdaceae …   Useful english dictionary

  • Calvatia — Riesenboviste Calvatia craniiformis Systematik Abteilung: Basidienpilze (Basidiomycota) Klasse …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • genus Calvatia — noun genus of puffballs having outer casings whose upper parts break at maturity into angular pieces to expose the spores • Syn: ↑Calvatia • Hypernyms: ↑fungus genus • Member Holonyms: ↑Lycoperdaceae, ↑family Lycoperdaceae …   Useful english dictionary

  • Langermania — Calvatia gigantea Calvatia gardneri …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Vesse-de-loup géante — Calvatia gigantea …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Лангерманния гигантская — Научная классификация …   Википедия

  • Puffball — Taxobox name = Puffball image width = 250px image caption = Puffball Mushroom regnum = Fungi divisio = Basidiomycota classis = ordo = familia = subdivision ranks = subdivision = A puffball is a member of any of a number of groups of fungus in the …   Wikipedia

  • Riesenbovist — (Calvatia gigantea) Systematik Klasse: Ständerpilze (Basidiomycetes) Unterklasse …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”