14 October 2010 Surrey. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin. Synonymns Calvatia excipuliformis, Handkea excipuliformis Common Name Pestle Puffball Flesh White when young, spore mass purple-brown at maturity Smell Indistinct Taste Indistinct Season Late summer to autumn Distribution Frequent Habitat In woods and occasionally in grassland Edibility Edible when white throughout Notes Excipuliforme means 'funnel shaped'. This species could be confused with L. caudatum, a very rare species known only from a few locations in southern Scotland. |