Puffballs 
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. 
Subgleba—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 thespore- 
Calvatia bearing por- Section of Calvatia 
tion, 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. 
ood Sterile base 
Brain-shaped Calvatia (Edible) 
Calvatia craniformis 
Peridium or Pouch—Very \arge, 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 
Cal-va'-shi-& Cra-nt-fér’-mis 
126 
