Calvatia sculpta, commonly known as the sculpted puffball, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Up to 8 to 15 cm (3.1 to 5.9 in) tall by 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in) wide, the pear- or egg- shaped puffball is readily recognizable from the large pyramidal or polygonal warts covering its surface. It is edible when young, before the spores inside the fruit body disintegrate into a brownish powder. Originally described from the Sierra Nevada, C. sculpta is found in mountainous areas in western North America, and was found in a Brazilian dune in 2008. It may be easily confused with Calbovista subsculpta, a similar puffball that—in addition to differences observable only with microscopy—is larger, and has slightly raised warts with a felt-like texture. Other similar species include Calvatia arctica and immature specimens of Amanita magniverrucata. The species was first described in 1885 by American mycologist Harvey Willson Harkness, who called it "a curious and strikingly beautiful species".
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvatia_sculpta
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1533 – : Conquistador Francisco Pizarro executed the last independent Inca Emperor Atahualpa in Cajamarca during the Spanish conquest of the Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atahualpa
1759:
French and Indian War: Rather than defend Fort Carillon near present-day Ticonderoga, New York, from an approaching 11,000-man British force, French Brigadier General François-Charles de Bourlamaque withdrew his troops and attempted to blow up the fort. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ticonderoga_(1759)
1908:
Unable to use U.S. Secret Service agents as investigators, Attorney General Charles Bonaparte established what is now the Federal Bureau of Investigation as his own staff of special agents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation
1953:
Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl led a group of approximately 135 rebels in an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncada_Barracks
2007:
After widespread controversy throughout Wales, Shambo, a black Friesian bull that had been adopted by the local Hindu community, was slaughtered due to concerns about bovine tuberculosis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shambo
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
mantelletta: (Roman Catholicism) A sleeveless, knee-length vestment open at the front which is worn by Roman Catholic prelates. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mantelletta
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
No language exists that cannot be misused … Every interpretation is hypothetical, for it is a mere attempt to read an unfamiliar text. --Carl Jung https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_Jung
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