Calvatia cyathiformis

Purple-spored Puffball

A large grassland puffball whose interior turns from white through yellow to dull purple or purple-brown as the spores mature. The outer skin cracks and flakes away, and after the spores disperse a persistent, leathery, cup-shaped sterile base remains on the ground. It is a saprobe of prairies, pastures and lawns.

Species profile

Edibility: Edible with caution
Edible only when young, while the interior is pure white and uniform throughout; discard once the flesh begins to yellow or tan. Every specimen must be sliced top to bottom: poisonous Scleroderma (earthballs) have a firm, dark purplish-black interior from an early stage and a thick rind, and the 'eggs' of deadly Amanita species show the outline of a cap, gills and stem in section. Never eat a puffball that shows any internal structure.

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Characteristics

Fruiting body: 5-20 cm high and broad, round to slightly flattened when young, becoming pear- or top-shaped. Outer surface: smooth at first, white, purplish or brownish, later drying and cracking. Gleba: white when young, turning yellow, then purple to purple-brown and powdery. Sterile base: well developed, leaving a leathery cup after dispersal. Odor and taste: not distinctive. Microscopic: spores round, spiny to warty or nearly smooth, 3.5-7.5 µm.