Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Huge

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

This large fungus grows in meadows and forests during the late summer months. A single specimen can release seven trillion spores into the wind when its skin ruptures.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Agaricales

Family

Lycoperdaceae

Genus

Calvatia

Species

Calvatia gigantea