A large, whitish to pale ochre puffball of western mountain conifer forests, covered in low, broad, polygonal warts. It is anchored by a root-like cord and has a finely chambered sterile base. It is the only species in its genus, which is distinguished microscopically by short, antler-like branched capillitium units.
Edible while the interior is firm and white, though not choice. Slice every specimen to rule out Amanita buttons (outline of cap and gills; potentially deadly, amatoxins) and earthballs (Scleroderma; firm dark interior; gastrointestinal poisoning). Calvatia sculpta is similar but has tall, pyramidal, hooked warts.
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Habitat
Solitary, scattered or in small groups along dirt roads, trails, roadsides and open areas in conifer forests at mid to high elevations (about 900-3,400 m). Fruits in spring in California (MykoWeb); Wikipedia gives April to August across its range.
Distribution
Western North America: Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast ranges, including California (Sierra Nevada and Coast Range), Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado, north to British Columbia and Alaska.
Characteristics
Fruitbody: 7-15 cm wide, up to 10 cm tall, roughly globose to compressed top-shaped, with a sterile lower portion and a root-like mycelial cord. Exoperidium: felty, cream to pale ochre, sometimes tawny, with broad low polygonal warts up to 1.5 cm wide. Endoperidium: thin, usually falling away with the outer layer. Gleba: white to cream, then ochre, olivaceous and finally medium brown and powdery. Subgleba: finely chambered, buff to light brown. Spores: 3.5-5 µm, mostly globose, smooth to finely warted. Capillitium: discrete, compactly branched units.
