Calvatia gigantea (Batsch) Lloyd
(Giant Puffball)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesCalvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
FamilyAGARICACEAE (mushrooms, dapperlings and parasols, puffballs and bird’s-nests)
OrderAGARICALES (mushrooms and toadstools)
SubclassAGARICOMYCETIDAE (a subclass of basidiomycetes)
ClassAGARICOMYCETES (a class of fungi)
SubphylumAGARICOMYCOTINA (a subphylum of fungi)
PhylumBASIDIOMYCOTA (spore droppers, basidiomycetes)
KingdomFUNGI (true fungi)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball) :
1: Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
17 Aug 2003 OSGR: SY59 50° 50’ N, 2° 40’ W Vice County: Dorset (VC 9) England
in grass in field
Image 1: In situImage 2: In situ (2)Image 3: In situ (3)Image 4: In situ - close-up
2: Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
7 Oct 2000 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
at side of woodland path
Image 1: FruitbodyImage 2: Fruitbody (2)Image 3: Fruitbody - last year\'s - side viewImage 4: Fruitbody - last year\'s - undersideImage 5: Fruitbody surface - close-upImage 6: Fruitbody surface - close-up (2)Image 7: CapillitiumImage 8: Capillitium (2)Image 9: Capillitium (3)Image 10: Capillitium (4)Image 11: Capillitium (5)Image 12: Capillitium (6)
3: Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
12 Sep 1974 OSGR: SE86 54° 0’ N, 0° 40’ W Vice County: South-east Yorks (VC 61) England
Image 1: Young fruitbody
4: Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
3 Jan 1970 OSGR: TQ21 50° 50’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
in field
Image 1: Old fruitbody - in January

Identification Works

AuthorYearTitleSource
() Pegler, D.N., Laessoe, T. & Spooner, B.M. 1995 British Puffballs, Earthstars & Stinkhorns 255pp, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball) may also be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 1 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Calvatia gigantea (Giant Puffball)

This edible species grows in nutrient-rich habitats like parks, gardens and the corners of fields. The largest of our puffballs, it can attain 70cm in diameter, but more usually is 20 to 50cm.

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