Calvatia cyathiformis, or purple-spored puffball, is a large edible saprobic species of Calvatia. This terrestrial puffball has purplish or purple-brown spores, which distinguish it from other large Agaricales. It is found in North America and Australia, mostly in prairie or grassland environments.
The fruiting body is Шаблон:Convert high and/or broad.[1] When young it is relatively smooth and spherical or slightly flattened and purplish or brownish.[1] It has a chocolate-brown or purple-colored gleba with a smooth exoperidium. As it matures it often becomes pear or irregularly-shaped and the exterior skin takes on a dark or silvery colour. As it ages the exterior dries and cracks and the fleshy spore-bearing interior breaks away to be distributed by wind and rain. After the spores completely disperse, "a soft leathery cup-shaped sterile base lightly rooted to the ground remains".[2]
According to MushroomExpert.Com, the spores are "3.5–7.5 µ; round, spiny or warty to nearly smooth. Capillitial threads 3–7.5 µ wide; thick-walled; minutely pitted."[3]
The spore mass turns from white to yellow to dull purple or purple-brown at maturity. It is said to be edible until the flesh begins to turn to a tan colour.[4]
To make a meal from most mushrooms, you probably hope to find at least a half dozen to a dozen, depending on the size. The large Calvatia species are special, because one or two at the most will probably be sufficient for a dinner for two. While this puffball does not have a strong flavor of its own, it is still quite good, and its ability to absorb flavors makes it a rewarding find.[3]
