Species details
Mosaic puffball
Bovistella utriformis
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Dr. Hans-Günter Wagner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · License
.jpg){kind=link}
Description
A large grassland puffball with a whitish surface cracking into broad pyramidal warts; edible only while young and the gleba is completely white.
Identification features
The fruitbody is about 10–16 cm wide, globose to pear-shaped, with a very short thick sterile base. The surface begins whitish, later grey-brown and cracks into broad pyramidal warts.
Identification checklist
Check size, grassland habitat, the pyramidal cracked outer skin and a completely white homogeneous gleba in section. Any yellowing or greening indicates maturation.
Size
- Stem diameter
- 10–16 cm
Habitat
Grows on sunny meadows and pastures, often in arcs or groups, in late summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
August, September, October
Ecology
- Substrate
- Grassland
- Notes
- Grows on sunny meadows and pastures, often in arcs or groups, in late summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Giant puffball is larger and smoother; tall puffballs have a more pronounced stem-like base. Internal colour is crucial, not just outer appearance.