While most puffballs are not poisonous, some often look similar to young
agarics, and especially the deadly
Amanitas, such as the
death cap or
destroying angel mushrooms. Young puffballs in the edible stage, before maturation of the gleba, have undifferentiated white flesh within, whereas the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined. They can be very toxic. The
giant puffball,
Calvatia gigantea (earlier classified as
Lycoperdon giganteum), reaches or more in diameter, and is difficult to mistake for any other fungus. It has been estimated that, when mature, a large specimen of this fungus will produce around
7 × 10 spores, which is more than any other known organism. Not all true puffball mushrooms are without stalks. Some may also be stalked, such as the
Podaxis pistillaris, which is also called the "false shaggy mane". There are also a number of false puffballs that look similar to the true ones. •
Pisolithus tinctorius •
Tulostoma (genus)
True True puffballs genera and species: •
Calbovista subsculpta •
Handkea – various species, including: •
Handkea utriformis •
Lycoperdon – various species, including: •
Lycoperdon candidum •
Lycoperdon echinatum •
Lycoperdon fusillum •
Lycoperdon umbrinum •
Scleroderma – various species, including: •
Scleroderma auratium •
Scleroderma geaster – not edible
False False puffballs species: •
Endoptychum agaricoides •
Nivatogastrium nubigenum •
Podaxis pistillaris •
Rhizopogon rubescens •
Truncocolumella citrina == Traditional uses ==