Handkea utriformis
| Handkea utriformis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Lycoperdaceae |
| Genus: | Handkea |
| Species: | H. utriformis |
| Binomial name | |
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Handkea utriformis (Bull.) Kreisel (1989) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Calvatia utriformis (Bull.) Jaap. (1918) |
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| Handkea utriformis | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
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glebal hymenium |
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no distinct cap |
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hymenium attachment is not applicable |
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lacks a stipe |
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spore print is brown |
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ecology is saprotrophic |
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edibility: edible |
Calvatia utriformis (Bull.) Jaap. (1918)
Lycoperdon utriforme (Bull.) (1790)
Handkea utriformis, synonymous with Lycoperdon utriforme, Lycoperdon caelatum or Calvatia utriformis, is a species of the Lycoperdaceae family of puffballs. A rather large mushroom, it may reach dimensions of up to 25 cm (9.8 in) broad by 20 cm (7.9 in) tall. It is commonly known as the mosaic puffball, a reference to the polygonal-shaped segments the outer surface of the fruiting body develops as it matures. Widespread in northern temperate zones, it is found frequently on pastures and sandy heaths, and is edible when young. H. utriformis has antibiotic activity against a number of bacteria, and can bioaccumulate the trace metals copper and zinc to relatively high concentrations.
This puffball was originally described in 1790 by French botanist Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard as Lycoperdon utriforme, and since then, has been variously placed in the genera Bovista, Lycoperdon, Calvatia, and Utraria. In 1989, German mycologist Hanns Kreisel described the genus Handkea to include species of Calvatia that had distinct microscopic features: Handkea species have a unique type of capillitium (coarse thick-walled hyphae in the gleba), with curvy slits instead of the usual pores. Although accepted by some authors, the genus concept has been rejected by others.
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