How to identify Pestle Puffball

To correctly identify Pestle Puffball (Handkea excipuliformis), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   The Pestle Puffball does not have a distinct cap. The entire fruit body is a single structure.

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   Absent. Spores are produced inside the gleba.

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   Absent or rudimentary. If present, it is a short, sterile base.

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   The flesh (gleba) is white and firm when young, turning yellowish and then brownish as it matures. Only consume when the flesh is uniformly white.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Pear-shaped to club-shaped, 5-20 cm tall, 4-10 cm wide. White when young, becoming brownish with age.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Found in meadows, fields, and open woodlands, often growing on the ground.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth when young, may become cracked with age

Growth Form

Solitary or in groups

Spore Print

Olive-brown

Body color

White to brownish

Odor

Mild, mushroomy

Flesh bruises

Does not bruise

Height

5-20 cm

Cap Diameter

N/A (no distinct cap)

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: Absent (Gleba)
• Stem shape: Absent or rudimentary
• Stem surface: N/A
• Ring: Absent
• Stem cross-section: N/A

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