Western giant puffball
A species of Calvatia Scientific name : Calvatia booniana Genus : Calvatia
Western giant puffball, A species of Calvatia
Scientific name: Calvatia booniana
Genus: Calvatia
Photo By Lord Mayonnaise , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The western giant puffball is the largest puffball in North America, reaching up to 70 cm in diameter. It is as large as its European counterpart the Giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea), although it features a more irregular shape than its European cousin.
Colors
White
Habitat
At lower elevations, the western giant puffball occurs in fields, pastures, open grassy areas, sagebrush steppes, and occasionally in coastal grasslands; in mountain regions, it occurs in along roads, in subalpine meadows, open woodlands, and forest clearings. It grows on the ground.
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People often ask
General Info
Edibility
Western giant puffball is reported to be edible and tasty only when young, when the fruitbodies are firm and white inside. It tastes a bit like tofu, and it can have a laxative effect on some people. This mushroom was historically eaten by pioneers and Native Americans in North America.
Habitat
At lower elevations, the western giant puffball occurs in fields, pastures, open grassy areas, sagebrush steppes, and occasionally in coastal grasslands; in mountain regions, it occurs in along roads, in subalpine meadows, open woodlands, and forest clearings. It grows on the ground.
Growth Form
Saprobic, solitary, gregarious
Sporocarp Height
Up to 30 cm
Cap Diameter
30 cm
Endangered Species
No
Habit
Saprophytic
Substrate
On soil
Smell
Not distinctive
Spore Print
Brown
Species Status
More common in the Rockies
How to identify it?
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Club fungi Class
Mushroom-forming fungi Order
Gilled fungi Family
Agaricaceae Genus
Calvatia Species
Western giant puffball 
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