Fungus · GBIF taxon 7242423
Brain puffball
Calvatia craniiformisAlso known as Skull-Shaped Puffball, Brain-Shaped Puffball
Brain puffballs feature striking, deeply convoluted fruit bodies that resemble a human brain or skull perched on forest soil. Young specimens start firm and smooth with a solid white interior, gradually developing deep folds as the outer skin matures, turns tan, and flakes away. Eventually, the wrinkled shell disintegrates entirely to release millions of powdery, yellow-brown spores into passing breezes.
FungusDecomposerSpore-Disperser
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Decaying leaf litter
- Organic matter
- Dead plant material
Predators
- Insects
- Slugs
- Rodents
ThreatsHabitat clearance, intensive lawn chemical application
HabitatsOpen hardwood forests, woodland edges, grassy clearings
Life spanFruiting body lasts 1–2 weeks
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAgaricales
- FamilyLycoperdaceae
- GenusCalvatia
- SpeciesCalvatia craniiformis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many wild mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Observe the texture: Touch the soft, wrinkled surface of mature specimens to feel the brain-like folds.
- Check the substrate: Look along forest edges and grassy openings where rich organic debris accumulates.
- Watch spore dust: Tap dried, mature specimens gently to watch spore clouds puff out into the breeze.
Toxic Look-Alike (c) Malte Krömer, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Malte Krömer · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Yehor Yatsiuk · cc0
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
Family Member (c) Jacob Weston, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jacob Weston · cc-by
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