Jim Gilbert's Journal
September 10, 1999
Giant Puffballs have Millions of Spores
Anyone who has kicked or stepped on a ripe puffball and has seen the cloud of powdery dust it emits knows why it was given this name. The puffs of powder contain millions of spores that serve to scatter the fungus over the surface of the Earth.
It is estimated that a large giant puffball would contain 18 billion spores. There is obviously a tremendous waste of spores, since the fungus depends on the whims of the wind and other weather elements. Out of the billions of spores produced, only a few ever find a suitable spot to grow.
The giant puffball is one of the largest of all the fungi and we often find them in September. The fruiting bodies are nearly spherical, and a white color with a smooth outer surface when young. A cord-like structure attaches them to the ground. They range in size from that of a baseball to larger than a basketball. Specimens a foot in diameter are common; one found in Minnesota a number of years ago was more than 2 feet high and weighed 45 pounds. Fruiting bodies become tan or brown at maturity and then the upper part of the surface collapses to allow the spores to escape.
Giant puffballs grow in rich wet humus in wooded areas, along drainage ditches and at the edges of pastures. This plant is seldom abundant but we sometimes find them in groups. When sliced and fried it is delicious, but like all puffballs it is good to eat only as long as it is white and solid inside; a tinge of yellow indicates a bitter taste. Always slice a puffball through the center and look for any signs of gills being formed. This would indicate that you have collected the button stage of a gilled mushroom, possibly a poisonous Amanita.