Poffballs 



Bark or Outer Coat Pinkish brown, with minute short, stout spin- 



ules, which fall away at maturity. 

 Inner Coat Ash coloured. Deeply pitted by the falling off of the 



spinules of the outer coat, the pits not surrounded with 



dotted lines. 

 Columella Present. 

 Subglcba Small but distinct. 

 Spores and Capillitium Spores round, minutely warted. Greenish 



yellow, then brownish olive. Threads long, simple, and 



transparent. 



Time August to October. 

 Habitat Old trunks in woods. 



GENUS CALVATIA 



The Calvatias are puffballs of large size, all with thick cord- 

 like mycelium rooting from the base. They all eject their spores 



through irregular openings in the upper 



part of the peridium, and they all have 



a dense 



network of 



branching 



threads 



(capillitium) 



traversing 



the tissues 



of the spore- 

 bearing por- 



t io n, the 



gleba. These threads are elastic, and project the spores from 

 the rind or case as they twist and turn. The sterile portion, the 

 subgleba, is definitely limited and concave above. 



Brain-shaped Calvatia (Edible) 



Calvatia craniformis (SEE PLATE FACING PAGE 127) 



Ptridium or Pouch Very large, obovoid or top-shaped, depressed 

 above. 



Bark or Outer Coat Smooth, very thin and fragile, easily peel- 

 ing off. Pallid or greyish, often with a reddish tinge ; often 



:... Sterile base 



Calvatia 



Section of Calvatia 



Cal-va'-shl-i 



Cri-nlf-for'-mte 



126 



