Editing Puffball (section)

==Edibility and identification==
[[File:Puffball fungai.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Cloud of spores poofs out of a puffball fungus]]

While most puffballs are not poisonous, some often look similar to young [[Agaricales|agarics]], and especially the deadly [[Amanita]]s, such as the [[death cap]] or [[destroying angel]] mushrooms. Young puffballs in the edible stage, before maturation of the gleba, have undifferentiated white flesh within, whereas the gills of immature Amanita mushrooms can be seen if they are closely examined. They can be very toxic.

[[File:Puffball Mushrooms On Sale.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Puffball mushrooms on sale at a market in England]]

The [[giant puffball]], ''Calvatia gigantea'' (earlier classified as ''Lycoperdon giganteum''), reaches {{convert|1|ft}} or more in diameter, and is difficult to mistake for any other fungus. It has been estimated that, when mature, a large specimen of this fungus will produce around [[Orders of magnitude (numbers)#1012|7 × 10{{sup|12}}]] spores, which is more than any other known organism.

Not all true puffball mushrooms are without stalks.{{Inconsistent|date=November 2021|reason=Lead section states true puffballs have no stems}} Some may also be stalked, such as the ''[[Podaxis pistillaris]]'', which is also called the "false shaggy mane". There are also a number of false puffballs that look similar to the true ones.<ref name="MushroomsNA"/>

[[File:Common puffball, releasing spores in a burst by compressing the body.webm|thumb|Common puffball, releasing spores in a burst by compressing the body]]

===Stalked===
Stalked puffballs species:<ref name="MushroomsNA"/>
* ''[[Battarrea phalloides]]''
* ''[[Calostoma cinnabarina]]'' (Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic)<ref name="expert">{{cite web
 |last         = Kuo
 |first        = M.
 |title        = Puffballs
 |publisher    = MushroomExpert.Com
 |date         = February 2006
 |url          = http://www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html
 |access-date   = 2008-08-03
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080921103804/http://www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html
 |archive-date = 2008-09-21
 |url-status     = live
}}</ref>
* ''[[Pisolithus tinctorius]]''
* ''[[Tulostoma]]'' (genus)

===True===
True puffballs genera and species:<ref name="MushroomsNA"/>
* ''[[Bovista]]'' – various species, including:
** ''[[Bovista aestivalis]]''
** ''[[Bovista dermoxantha]]''
** ''[[Bovista nigrescens]]''
** ''[[Bovista plumbea]]''
* ''[[Calvatia]]'' – various species, including:
** ''[[Calvatia bovista]]''
** ''[[Calvatia craniiformis]]''
** ''[[Calvatia cyathiformis]]''<ref name="MushroomsNA"/><ref name="expert"/>
** ''[[Calvatia gigantea]]''<ref name="MushroomsNA"/><ref name="expert"/>
** ''[[Calvatia booniana]]''
** ''[[Calvatia fumosa]]''
** ''[[Calvatia lepidophora]]''
** ''[[Calvatia pachyderma]]''
** ''[[Calvatia sculpta]]''
** ''[[Calvatia subcretacea]]'' – edible<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Davis|first1=R. Michael|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/797915861|title=Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America|last2=Sommer|first2=Robert|last3=Menge|first3=John A.|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=2012|isbn=978-0-520-95360-4|location=Berkeley|pages=366–367|oclc=797915861|access-date=2021-06-29|archive-date=2022-06-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603052838/https://www.worldcat.org/title/field-guide-to-mushrooms-of-western-north-america/oclc/797915861|url-status=live}}</ref>
** ''[[Calbovista subsculpta]]''
* ''[[Handkea]]'' – various species, including:
** ''[[Handkea utriformis]]''
* ''[[Lycoperdon]]'' – various species, including:
** ''[[Lycoperdon candidum]]''
** ''[[Lycoperdon echinatum]]''
** ''[[Lycoperdon fusillum]]''
** ''[[Lycoperdon umbrinum]]''
* ''[[Scleroderma (fungus)|Scleroderma]]'' – various species, including:
** ''[[Scleroderma auratium]]''
** ''[[Scleroderma geaster]]'' – not edible<ref>{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Roger |title=Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America |url=https://archive.org/details/mushroomsotherfu0000phil |url-access=registration |year=2010 |publisher=Firefly Books |location=Buffalo, NY |isbn=978-1-55407-651-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/mushroomsotherfu0000phil/page/335 335]}}</ref>

===False===
False puffballs species:<ref name="MushroomsNA"/>
** ''[[Endoptychum agaricoides]]''
** ''[[Nivatogastrium nubigenum]]''
** ''[[Podaxis pistillaris]]''
** ''[[Rhizopogon rubescens]]''
** ''[[Truncocolumella citrina]]''