Species · GBIF taxon 3339928
Western Giant Puffball
Calvatia boonianaAlso known as Boon's Puffball, Western Puffball
Western giant puffballs are massive, ground-dwelling fungi that can grow larger than a basketball, presenting a striking white, sculptured exterior covered in polygon-shaped warts. They lack a defined stalk, anchoring directly to the soil in arid grasslands, sagebrush steppes, and open woodlands across western North America. As they mature, the interior gleba transitions from a firm white mass to a dusty, olive-brown spore cloud that escapes when the outer skin cracks open.
GiantSpore-producingGrassland
1 / 7- diet
- Saprotrophic (decomposes organic matter in soil)
- family
- Lycoperdaceae
- threats
- Habitat loss, intensive agriculture, soil compaction
- life Span
- Mycelium lives for decades; fruiting bodies last a few weeks
NE
Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
- Observe the texture: Gently touch the outer skin to feel the unique, leathery polygonal plates that distinguish it from other giant puffballs.
- Check the maturity: Look for older, brown specimens to see how the outer wall naturally ruptures to release millions of spores.
- Look for fairy rings: Scan open pastures and sagebrush flats, as the underground mycelium often fruits in large, sweeping arcs.