FUn Facts

 

• Calvatia gigantea is edible when young while the fruiting body is still firm and white, and is often sold in farmers’ markets.

 

• Giant puffballs appear to rapidly pass into the inedible spore-producing stage after being exposed to a day or so of sunshine.

 

• The very largest specimens of the giant puffball ever reported were more than 150 cm in diameter, 45 cm high and would have weighed more than 100 kg when fresh.

 

• They grow and increase in size over a period of nearly two weeks before they reach maturity.

 

• Before the days of modern medicine, the puffball spores were used as a syptic powder to stop bleeding and even today in some places are thought to be effective in the treatment of certain disorders.