Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: Agaricaceae
Genus: Calvatia
Species: C. cyathiformis
Binomial name: Calvatia cyathiformis
Synonyms: Calvatia fragilis, Lycoperdon cyathiforme, Lycoperdon fragile, Utraria fragilis
Common name: Purple-Spored Puffball, Vase-shaped giant puffball, Purple Spored Puffball
Calvatia cyathiformis is a large saprobic species of Calvatia. This terrestrial puffball has purplish or purple-brown spores, which distinguish it from other large Lycoperdales. It is found mostly in paddocks and grassed areas of New Zealand, growing alone, scattered, gregariously, or in fairy rings
The sporocarp (fruiting body) can be >18 cm high and > 20 cm wide when mature. When young it is ball-shaped but as it develops the base becomes narrower and fruiting body becomes pear-shaped.
The puffball outer skin is a tan colour with small, mosaic-like scales. When young the interior is white but the spore mass on maturity turns a purplish-grey colour. On maturity, the outer skin dries and splits releasing the spores to be distributed by wind and water.
The outer skin had dried and split releasing the spores.
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
