Calvatia craniiformis

Brain puffball

A large, skull-shaped puffball of open woods and fields in eastern North America and East Asia, edible while its flesh is firm and white. It fruits in warm, wet summers and early autumn and is not cultivated.

Calvatia craniiformis — Photo: Sindhu Ramchandran, the mushroom was identified by Mr Marco Della Maggiora, Italy, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal rest

Where it grows wild

It grows on the ground in open deciduous woods, woodland edges, fields and wet areas. It is mainly saprotrophic but can form ectomycorrhizal associations with sweetgum and poplar.

Mostly lowland to mid-elevation; the 28 records with an elevation span 20–2591 m (median 950 m).

Eastern and southern United StatesMexicoEast AsiaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustralia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 2.5 licence, unmodified.