olive47: The Mushroom People 0018

Calvatia gigantea, aka The Giant Puffball This is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests usually in late summer and autumn. It is found in temperate areas throughout the world. Unlike most mushrooms, all the spores of the giant puffball are created inside the fruiting body; large specimens can easily contain several trillion spores. Puffballs are a known styptic and have long been used as wound dressing, either in powdered form or as slices 3 cm thick. The fungus was often harvested prior to battles for this purpose. In modern times, they are often used as a substitute for marshmallows in treats for the ill and infirmed. 1/1 3000x3000px / 300 dpi