Meadow Puffball Vascellum pratense (Pers.) Kreisel (illustrated 50% life size) Fruit body 2–4cm across, subglobose, narrowed into a short, squat stem; white at first then yellowish flesh-coloured, finally light brown; outer layer scurfy, with some small, white spines; inner wall smooth, shining, opening by a small pore, the upper part eventually breaking away totally, leaving the fruit body bowl-shaped. Gleba olive-brown; sterile base well-developed, separated from spore mass by a distinct membrane. Spores 3–5.5¼ in diameter, globose, finely warted; olive-brown. Habitat on lawns, golf courses, or pasture; summer to late autumn. Common. Edible when young.
