Purple-spored Puffball
(Calvatia cyathiformis)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
|
||||
| IUCN Red List | not listed |
||||
| NatureServe | not listed |
||||
| Minnesota | not listed |
||||
Description
Purple-spored Puffball is a large, edible puffball. It grows on the ground (terrestrial) and obtains its nutrients from decaying organic matter (saprobic). It may appear individually, in groups, or as fairy rings. Fairy rings of this species may persist for hundreds of years.
The fruiting body is 2″ to 8″ in diameter, nearly round, and slightly flattened at first, with the shape of a round loaf of bread. As it ages it develops a broad, often flattened top and a large stem-like base, giving it the shape of an inverted pear or a top. When it matures in the fall it ruptures, the spores are dispersed, and only the stalk remains.
The skin (peridium) is thin and has two layers. The outer skin (exoperidium) is white, tan, or pinkish tan when young. It is smooth, not spotted or warty. As it ages it cracks, at least on top, into flat scales or patches, revealing the white inner skin (endoperidium) below. When mature it turns dull purple or purplish-brown and flakes off revealing the now dark brown or purplish-brown endoperidium. In the fall the endoperidium ruptures irregularly, or through radial tears, or just generally disintegrates.
The base is sterile. The flesh of the base is chambered and white or yellowish when immature. In the fall it turns purple. It persists into the winter as a purple, leathery, cup shaped stump after the peridium has disintegrated and the spores are dispersed.
The spores of this mushroom are produced inside the fruiting body, not on the outer surface. The flesh above the sterile stalk is the spore mass. When immature it is white and solid with a cheesy texture. At this stage it is edible. As it ages it becomes mushy and darkens, turning first yellowish then brownish. In the fall it becomes powdery and purple.
Similar Species
The purple color of the mature spore mass distinguishes Purple-spored Puffball from otherwise similar puffballs.
Earthballs (Scleroderma spp.) have a thick, tough skin that ruptures into distinct lobes at maturity, often in a star-like pattern. The mature spore mass remains firm as it darkens, eventually becoming powdery.
Habitat and Hosts
Pastures, lawns, and other grassy places, and occasionally in open woods.
Ecology
Season
July to November
Distribution |
||
|
Sources Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 11/4/2025). |
|
| 11/4/2025 | ||
Occurrence |
||
Widespread and occasional to locally common |
||
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Fungi (fungi)
Subkingdom
Dikarya
Phylum
Basidiomycota (club fungi)
Subphylum
Agaricomycotina (jelly fungi, yeasts, and mushrooms)
Class
Agaricomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, puffballs, and allies)
Subclass
Agaricomycetidae
Order
Agaricales (common gilled mushrooms and allies)
Suborder
Agaricineae
Family
Lycoperdaceae (puffballs)
Genus
Calvatia
Section
Hippoperdon
Order
The family Lycoperdaceae was formerly placed in the order Lycoperdales. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies resulted in a resturcturing of fungal taxonomy. Genera formerly in the families Tulostomataceae, Battarreaceae, Lycoperdaceae, and Mycenastraceae have been moved to Agaricaceae. The move has been universally accepted.
Family
The genus Calvatia was formerly placed in the family Lycoperdaceae. Recent phylogenetic analysis showed that family to be a subgroup within the family Agaricaceae. The move has not been universally accepted. Index Fungorum, MycoBank, Catalog of Life, and NCBI all include Calvatia in the family Lycoperdaceae.
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Calvatia cyathiformis ssp. fragilis
Calvatia fragilis
Lycoperdon cyathiforme
Lycoperdon fragile
Lycoperdon mammaeforme var. fragile
Lycoperdon novae-zelandiae
Utraria fragilis
Common Names
Purple-spored Puffball
Glossary
Endoperidium
The innermost layer of the outer protective wall of puffballs and other gasteroid fungi.
Exoperidium
The outermost layer of the outer protective wall of puffballs and other gasteroid fungi.
Peridium
The protective wall consisting of usually two, sometimes more layers, that encloses the spore mass of puffballs, earthstars, stinkhorns, false truffles and other gasteroid fungi.
Saprobic
A term often used for saprotrophic fungi. Referring to fungi that obtain their nutrients from decayed organic matter.
Visitor Photos
Share your photo of this fungus.
This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
Carrie Andersson |
 |
Unidentified mushroom My son and I are hoping someone can help us identify this mushroom he found. It is not in either of our MN mushroom books and I couldn’t find a match in your collection. It appears similar to a puffball or an earth star. It’s obviously ripe and dried out now, but the top is still spongy, while the outer edge is smooth and papery. The color is somewhat purple tinged. He found it growing in tall grass with one other specimen in Washington county. It is almost 4” tall and 6” wide at its widest. |
Dan W. Andree |
||
… They were at a Prairie Preserve in Norman Co., Mn. Aug. 26, 2023 I came across them. |
||
 |
 |
|
Kayla T. |
seems to be in the cup stage following rupture. It was growing in the grass approximately 50ft from shore. |
 |
M.H. |
||
Found 3 purple-spored puffballs! In my well-groomed flowerbed buried down in with my stones, along the edge of our wooden detached deck in our backyard in Greensburg, PA (zip 15601). |
||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
James Folden |
||
 |
 |
|
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
|
Slideshows
August Mushrooms:EDIBLE PURPLE SPORED or VASE SHAPED PUFFBALL
foxtrapper1972
Visitor Videos
Share your video of this fungus.
This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
Other Videos
Calvatia cyathiformis Hongos de Vetacruz.
alopezr57
Mushroom Foraging: Calvatia cyathaformis, purple-spored puffball
Demeter
Purple Puffball Spores Galore
Sean Nash
Visitor Sightings
Report a sighting of this fungus.
This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
Carrie Andersson
11/4/2025
Location: Washington County
Description: My son and I are hoping someone can help us identify this mushroom he found. It is not in either of our MN mushroom books and I couldn’t find a match in your collection. It appears similar to a puffball or an earth star. It’s obviously ripe and dried out now, but the top is still spongy, while the outer edge is smooth and papery. The color is somewhat purple tinged. He found it growing in tall grass with one other specimen in Washington county. It is almost 4” tall and 6” wide at its widest.
Dan W. Andree
8/26/2023
Location: Norman Co., Mn.
… They were at a Prairie Preserve in Norman Co., Mn. Aug. 26, 2023 I came across them.
Kayla T.
8/28/2022
Location: Lake lot on Green Prairie Fish Lake near Little Falls, MN
seems to be in the cup stage following rupture. It was growing in the grass approximately 50ft from shore.
M.H.
4/6/2022
Location: Greensburg, PA
In my well-groomed flowerbed buried down in with my stones, along the edge of our wooden detached deck in our backyard in Greensburg, PA (zip 15601).
James Folden
11/3/2014
Thought you might want a pic of this on your website. The “purple spored puffball”. We see so few purple fungi! A week ago, there were 3 specimens on an open field outside of Henderson, MN. We were able to find this one, which had become detached and blown to the edge of the woods.
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
|
