Calvatia
| Calvatia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Calvatia craniiformis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Agaricaceae |
| Genus: |
Calvatia Fr. (1849) |
| Type species | |
|
Calvatia craniiformis (Schwein.) Fr. (1849) |
|
| Synonyms | |
Calvatia is a genus of puffball mushrooms that includes the spectacular giant puffball C. gigantea. It was formerly classified within the now-obsolete order Lycoperdales, which, following a restructuring of fungal taxonomy brought about by molecular phylogeny, has been split; the puffballs, Calvatia spp. are now placed in the family Agaricaceae of the order Agaricales.
Most species in the genus Calvatia are edible when young, though some are best avoided, such as Calvatia fumosa, which has a very pungent odor.
The name Calvatia derives from the Latin calvus meaning "bald" and calvaria, meaning "dome of the skull".
Calvatia was circumscribed by Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries in 1849. Fries included a single species in the genus, Calvatia craniiformis, which was originally described as Bovista craniiformis by Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1832.
As of February 2015[update], Index Fungorum lists 58 species of Calvatia.
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